Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Final Frontier
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: The final Breakaway movie. Just as Nick and Yuki are about to marry their loved ones, a force known as Abel's Ark descends onto Misora. It falls to them to stop it, but this time around, their happiness may involve a great sacrifice on Yuki's part...
1. Act 1: One For the Angels

(Prologue, written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Nick-kun!!! Wake up!!!"

"Five... more minutes, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki Shinoya huffed at this. Even at eighteen years old, her big brother was still very stubborn.

"Come on, Nick-kun, did you somehow forget that your WEDDING is today?!"

THAT woke Nick Kelly up pretty fast.

"Why didn't you just say that, Yuki-chan?!" Nick exclaimed, shooting around the room like a bullet.

Yuki couldn't help but giggle at this. Nick had just turned eighteen a couple weeks ago, and today, he was finally getting married to his fiancée, Momoko Asuka.

Yuki sat down on the bed as Nick continued rummaging through his things.

_Why does Saiki-kun want to wait for US to get married when my big brother gets to do it TODAY?!_ Yuki thought, flashing back to the time when her own fiancée, Saiki Shidoosha, had proposed to her, with the condition that they would at least wait to actually get married until the Delegates of Darkness were no longer a threat.

I'll admit, we DO have to take care of those freaks before we can settle into a normal life. Those Delegates of Darkness are the reason we lost our parents in the first place!!

All in all, Yuki was very happy to have two special people at this pivotal point in her life.

There was Saiki, her wonderful fiancé, and Nick, her loving and caring brother.

"Well, Yuki-chan, how do I look?" Nick asked, coming out of the closet dressed in a sharp tuxedo.

Yuki gasped in delight. "Nick-kun, you look absolutely stunning," Yuki stated. "You give off a perfect impression for your runaway bride."

"She's not running, is she?" Nick teased.

"I know," Yuki giggled.

Then, completely surprising Yuki, Nick reached out and pulled his little sister into a hug.

"Why so affectionate all of a sudden, Nick-kun?"

"I just wanted you to know, Yuki-chan... no matter where life takes both of us... I love you, Yuki-chan. I always will. You're someone precious to me, and you always will be."

Yuki sighed happily, returning her brother's embrace. "Aw... I love you, too, Nick-kun."

"Now do you understand why I'm so dead-set on protecting you, Yuki-chan? You're so precious to me..."

"I know, Nick-kun."

Yuki looked out the window. "Well, Nick-kun, it's almost time. Shall we get going?"

Nick grinned. "Music to my ears."

(Author's Note from Nick: And here's the opening sequence to the last chapter of the Breakaway movie trilogy! Song is "Clover" by meg rock!)

(Footage: Yuki looks up into the night-soaked sky as the sequence begins. She is smiling brightly, dressed in a wedding robe.)

_ne ima made shiritakatta otogibanashi no tsuzuku_

(Footage: An explosion rocks the nearby area, forcing Nick and Yuki to hop back in their spots. The siblings nod to each other before flicking their wrists out and summoning their weapons.)

_eien ni owaranai shiawase nara kono te de_

(Footage: Nick and Yuki rush forward, leaping into the air and slashing towards the screen, which cuts to the _Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Final Frontier_ logo.)

_bokura wa marude ichimai chigai no_

(Footage: Yuki sits down on a park bench, Saiki joining her a second later. Yuki squeals and glomps Saiki, who just sweatdrops.)

_guuzen wo sagashiate meguriatta kimi ga itsuka_

(Footage: Nick and Momoko can be seen sifting through catalog after catalog, looking for something in particular. Momoko then smiles and plants a kiss on Nick's cheek. Nick just smiles back.)

_nomikonda sono kotoba yori_

(Footage: In a dark place, what remains of the Delegates of Darkness can be seen planning something. One of the members stands and raises a very familiar-looking sword into the air.)

_zutto kiezu ni ite kureteta yasashisa wo_

(Footage: From the future, Mana can be seen looking down at the present time from a glowing crystal ball. Satoshi just smiles, while Sakura is prodding Mana about something. Mana just giggles.)

_shinjitai to ima omou nda_

(Footage: Momoko looks upwards, pointing to a mysterious structure in the sky. Nick looks up, only to gasp in shock.)

_nee kono saki wa dokomademo fuan to tonariawase_

(Footage: The mysterious figure with the familiar sword points said weapon forward before charging towards Yuki, only to have his attack easily deflected by Nick. The green witch retaliates by slashing the mystery figure across the side.)

_nakusumono ga nakatta bokutachi wa mou inai_

(Footage: Nick and Yuki cross the blades of their weapons, both glowing with a bright light. The two siblings smile at each other before slashing their weapons across each other, creating a purple flash that covers the entire screen.)

_ne ima made shiritakatta otogibanashi no tsuzuki_

(Footage: Saiki leaps away from his attacker, firing dark shockwaves every chance he gets. After a couple rounds of this, Saiki just shakes his head before firing off a Makurayami spell.)

_eien ni owaranai shiawase nara kono te de_

(Footage: An explosion of dark energy knocks Saiki a few feet away. Once he recovers, he smiles in triumph, only to turn around and gasp in shock.)

_tsumikasanete iku mono_

(Footage: Nick, Yuki, and Momoko all leap towards the screen, striking cute poses before landing next to a weirded out Saiki. Shaking off his confusion, Saiki quickly enters into a group pose with Nick, Yuki, and Momoko just as the sequence ends.)

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(When a new day dawns, new secrets are revealed under the pale of the vanishing moon.)

**S.P.D. Gold Ranger** and **YukiShinoya444** present:

Takeshi Kusao as Nick Kelly

Saeko Chiba as Yuki Shinoya

Sakura Tange as Akemi Suzuki

Aya Hirano as Moriko Takahashi

Atsuko Enomoto as Kurumi Sayoko

Tomo Saeki as Saiki Shidoosha

Aya Hisakawa as Sakura

Mikako Takahashi as Mana

Yū Kobayashi as Satoshi in...

Oj_amajo Doremi Breakaway: The Final Frontier_

Story Created: June 10th, 2009

Story Created: July 19th, 2009

Summary: The third and final part of the Breakaway movie trilogy. A year later, Nick, Yuki, and their friends are about to finally enter adulthood, when out of nowhere, the Delegates of Darkness launch one final attack on Misora, unleashing a force known only as Abel's Ark. Can our favorite siblings find a way to stop Abel's Ark before it destroys everything they've fought to protect for so many years?

Disclaimer: Neither Yuki-chan nor I own ANYTHING of Ojamajo Doremi, though we really wish we did. The series and all of its affiliations belong to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their particular country. Let's rock!

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Act 1: One For the Angels

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Akemi-chan~! Quick! Which one would suit Momo-chan better? Blue roses or yellow roses? Or maybe some pink roses! You know how cliché red roses are these days..."

"What I want to know, Moriko-chan, is how you even MANAGED to GROW these blue roses... They look stunning..."

"It's a gift, Kurumi-chan."

Akemi giggled as Moriko gently tended through the flowers, gulping with anticipation.

"Maybe a combination... White roses look GREAT on a wedding gown!!"

"It isn't even your wedding, Moriko-chan..." Akemi started, blushing a light pink. "I mean, why so excited? I was so sure you'd be bummed about this considering you had a crush on Nick-kun... Right?"

"What are you talking about, Akemi-chan?" the jade witch asked, now really confused. "There's only one person I've had my eyes on and it certainly isn't Nick-kun..."

"Then who is it?" Kurumi and Akemi asked at the same time, sweatdropping.

Moriko just grinned.

"Sore wa... Na-i-sho!"

"Talk about unfair," Akemi noted, making Kurumi perk up.

"Speaking of which..."

She placed a hand on her cheek, hearts floating around.

"I ordered just the PERFECT dress for Momo-chan!! She's trying it on right now... I had it ordered from one of my own personal designers back in Paris!! It costs a lot, but it's worth it!!"

"Kurumi-chan, aren't you going overboard with that?" Moriko asked with her own sweatdrop as she gathered up the white roses, still trying to make the veil.

Akemi laughed a bit.

"I guess you just wanted the best for Momo-chan..."

That was when Kurumi turned blank.

"Actually, I just wanted the first wedding with my friends be like those super romantic ones in the movies... Believe me; I already HAVE Yuki-chan's wedding design planned out..."

She smirked, waving her finger.

"For the time being, second best for Nick-kun, FIRST best for Yuki-chan?"

"We better defeat the Delegates of Darkness quickly before she actually HOSTS the wedding in Paris," Moriko whispered to Akemi, making her nod in agreement.

"Definitely."

Kurumi sighed at this.

"_Au contraire_," she stated, growling a bit. "Such things cannot be helped. Now Moriko-chan, have you finished the veil for the future wife of the brother of our beloved mademoiselle?"

"Should have known, you're doing this for Yuki-chan," Moriko groaned. "It doesn't have ANYTHING to do with Nick-kun or Momo-chan."

"That's not TRUE!!"

"Moriko-chan..." Akemi started, frowning.

Moriko just shrugged.

"Whatever. I'm getting this veil to Momo-chan... See you at the wedding, Kurumi-chan."

"W-Wait, Moriko-chan!!" Kurumi called out as the jade witch shut the door, sighing heavily. "Akemi-chan, can you help?"

Akemi blushed darkly and nodded.

"Sure thing," she smiled, gulping a bit. "What do you need, Kurumi-chan?"

"An opinion. Do you think I should wear this dress to the wedding?" Kurumi asked, gesturing to a rather fancy looking bridesmaid dress.

Akemi stammered for a bit.

"Um... Well... As long as it isn't as pretty as Momo-chan's dress, I guess..."

"Bah," the gray witch huffed, folding her arms. "When I get married, I sure hope I don't have to worry..."

She soon sighed heavily, folding her arms.

"But WHERE is my destined love?!"

Akemi's sweatdrop increased.

"Kurumi-chan..."

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"Okay, Momo-chan~! Here's your veil and bouquet!!"

"Thanks Moriko-chan."

Momoko blushed as Moriko adjusted the veil on her hair, blushing a light pink as she stared into a vanity.

"I can't believe I'm getting married..."

"I never thought that Nick-kun would get settled down before his sister," Moriko giggled, weaving in the white and blue roses, smiling brightly.

"I hear marriage can really change a person..."

"Till separation or death do us part," Momoko laughed, touching her lips. "It all seems like magic..."

"This reminds me..." Moriko's smile turned rueful. "The last wedding I went to... I remember skipping it out completely and hiding behind the church, I was so dead set against it..."

"Huh?"

"Otou-san got remarried, and I was really young... Even though Kasumi-san was nice, I hated the idea of her becoming my mother..."

Moriko sighed at the memory, soothing down the veil.

"Now here's a wedding that I can celebrate the RIGHT way..."

"Moriko-chan..."

"Momo-chan, really. I'm happy for you."

Momoko faced the jade witch, her eyes glimmering as tears formed. Moriko just smiled, shrugging.

"Go out there and don't get fat on the wedding cake, okay? If Nick-kun doesn't treat you well... Just let me know, okay?"

The yellow witch nodded and she stood up and gave Moriko a hug, smiling brightly.

"Thank you... Moriko-chan."

Moriko just smiled as she returned the hug.

"Anything for the bride-to-be."

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"Sugoi~!"

Yuki twirled around in the dress as Nick clapped, laughing a bit.

"Wow Kurumi-chan... She looks great,"

Kurumi grinned, waving her finger while Akemi just giggled.

"We did it, Kurumi-chan..."

"Tell me about it, Akemi-chan."

Yuki just smiled as she sighed.

"Stupid Saiki-kun... If he hadn't made me wait... This could have been MY wedding..."

Nick shrugged.

"Eh. Probably didn't want me sulking about the whole 'you getting married before me' thing, Yuki-chan..."

"Whatever."

Kurumi and Akemi smiled at each other. "We'll get the rest of the preparations okay? See you when the wedding bells ring!!"

And just like that, they rushed out.

"Nick-kun, I really am proud of you," Yuki stated as she walked up to him, tightening the bowtie on his tux.

"Thanks, Yuki-chan."

Yuki smiled and sighed.

"It feels just like yesterday when you and Momo-chan first started seeing each other..."

Nick laughed, ruffling her hair.

"I remember how much you rebelled against the idea back then."

Yuki laughed ruefully, backing off. "True... And when Saiki-kun and I stated seeing each other... You spent a week sulking about it."

"Saiki-kun wasn't as nice back then as he is now," Nick sighed heavily, groaning. "But sometimes I think he picks a fight with me JUST because he's envious..."

_I still can't get over what he said during that scuffle..._

He flinched, sighing.

_I just had no idea... It's no wonder then... Why Yuki-chan values his health so much... No one else, other than Akatsuki-kun maybe... No one has really cared._

"That's not true and you know it, Nick-kun," Yuki responded with a laugh, turning him around to push him out the door. "Now get going, Momo-chan won't stay single forever!!"

"Alright, alright," her brother stated, laughing a bit. "But... Aren't you coming, Yuki-chan?"

"I still have some business to do." The black witch smiled brightly, waving. "But don't worry, you'll see me for sure!!"

Nick nodded and opened the door.

"Thanks, Yuki-chan. Love you," he stated while he stepped out, closing the door.

"Love you too!!"

Yuki's smile vanished as the door closed and as soon as she was sure her brother was gone.

"...I'm sorry, Nick. I can't attend your wedding after all."

She slid down the bridesmaid gown, and pulled a pink blouse on, pulling up her usual red skirt. She slipped on her shoes as she opened the window and climbed out, sliding down the vine to the ground.

She looked at the church one last time and sighed.

_I'm going to miss my big brother's wedding... But surely I'll be able to make it up to him someday..._

Yuki began walking down the road.

_But right now, my duty is much more important... Besides... Now that Momo-chan's in the picture, Nick-kun doesn't really need me anymore..._

She soon broke into a sprint, biting her lip as she ran.

_I'm really sorry, but please understand!!_

Yuki's brown eyes glimmered as tears formed, being carried away by the wind.

_You found your special someone... And I found mine... Saiki-kun... Please, you must understand._

She increased her speed, sweat running down her cheek.

_It's a promise between me... and the one I love._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Say, Nick-kun?"

"What's up, Kurumi-chan?"

The gray witch turned towards the groom-to-be. "Call it a hunch, but Yuki-chan looked a little sad earlier..."

Nick smiled. "Typical sister things. She probably thinks that I don't need her anymore now that I'm getting married soon."

Kurumi giggled at that.

"Even though I'm getting married, I'll always love her, Kurumi-chan."

"Because she's someone precious to you," Kurumi responded.

"Exactly. You remember that time that Yuki-chan and I were pulled into the future by our older selves?"

"Yeah?"

"When Yuki-chan thought I'd been struck down by Tabuu, she just cried her eyes out. And you know what I wanted to do?"

"Hmm?" Kurumi probably already knew the answer, but she figured she'd let Nick confirm it anyway.

"I just wanted to destroy Tabuu for making my sister cry like that."

"I see," Kurumi stated. "You must really love her, huh?"

"It's been that way ever since dad started messing with us. You remember that whole business with Yami?"

Kurumi visibly noted that Nick shuddered with barely-restrained rage when he mentioned his evil double's name.

"You okay, Nick-kun?" Kurumi asked, gently rubbing Nick's shoulders.

Quickly calming himself down, Nick nodded. "I should be. I STILL don't like saying that bastard's name, especially after everything he put us through... what he made me do to my sister..."

Kurumi just nodded, knowing which memory he was talking about and why he'd want to forget it.

"What Yuki-chan said to me... I STILL can't get it out of my head... I thought she hated me after that..."

"Oh, come on, Nick-kun. Yuki-chan's always been overdramatic..."

Nick laughed a bit. "Don't I know that."

Kurumi looked out the window. "Well, I think it's just about time. You ready to go?"

"For sure," Nick responded.

"Oh, and Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

Kurumi leaned forward and pecked Nick on the cheek. "Go get her, buddy."

Nick nodded, giving a thumbs up to Kurumi as he rushed to the chapel.

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(Author's Note: I SUCK at writing wedding scenes, so bear with me here, okay?)

Nick was starting to get impatient already. Only twenty minutes had passed, and yet Nick just wanted to get the ceremony over with before something ruined it, like fate had a tendency to do.

Suddenly, Moriko sprung from her seat and shouted "HERE COMES THE BRIDE!!!!"

At this, the bells began ringing and the doors opened.

_About time,_ Nick thought, eyes fixed on his bride-to-be. _Let's do this already._

Nick just watched as Minori walked her daughter down the aisle. Nick had seen this part many, many times before.

Before too long, Nick finally joined his bride at the altar.

"The couple has written their own vows, which they will now recite to each other," the priest proclaimed.

Nick and Momoko looked deep into each other's eyes, not daring to look at anything else around them as they began to exchange their vows; their dream was about to come true.

"To be quite honest, Momoko, I never expected to fall so hard for you the day I met you," Nick stated as everyone else listened with rapt attention. "Our friendship endured so much over the years, and it eventually became love. And I'm proud to have been in love with the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on."

Momoko had been having quite a bit of trouble holding back her tears. "People have always told us that you and I have been different, Nick. I'm strong-willed, and you're quite impatient. But those differences have never kept us apart, have they? I've gotta say, I'm quite proud to have been with you throughout it all."

Akemi looked like she was about to faint, but Moriko was there to hold her steady. Kurumi just smiled. The gray witch scanned the rest of the crowd, where all of the Ojamajos were seated in random spots. She easily noticed that Aiko was getting a little fidgety.

Kurumi giggled at that. _Ai-chan's never been much for these kinds of things._

Suddenly noticing something she hadn't before, question marks appeared over Kurumi's head.

_Wait. Where's Yuki-chan?_

"If anyone here objects to the union of this couple, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

There was complete silence for a minute. Nick began to wonder if that line was even necessary.

"Very well, then. Momoko Asuka, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Momoko responded.

"And do you, Nick Kelly, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"You bet I do," Nick responded, causing Aiko to sweatdrop.

"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Nick looked a bit uneasy. _This is usually the part where Lady Fate throws a monkey wrench into everything, right?_

Completely surprising the crowd, Nick took Momoko into his arms, swung her around, and gave her a big, Hollywood-style kiss.

This caused the crowd to burst into applause. Momoko took this time to toss the bouquet into the air, which landed on Aiko's lap.

Once Nick and Momoko separated, the yellow witch couldn't help but smile. "You've always wanted to give me a kiss like that, huh?"

"Seemed like the right time," Nick responded.

Just then, Nick noticed something.

"What's wrong, Nick?"

"I... I don't see Yuki-chan..."

Just then, something struck the roof of the chapel and caused a powerful explosion, forcing everyone to take cover.

_Ah,_ Nick thought. _What took you so long, Lady Fate?_

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"What was that?!" Doremi exclaimed, looking about in shock.

Onpu shook her head. "The Delegates of Darkness...perhaps?"

"Whoever it is, they're going to be sorry!!" Moriko growled, holding a tight grip on the frightened Akemi.

Nick looked around, growling a bit.

_Whoever did it... they're gone now... I bet this was just a warning... Someone is after us AGAIN._

He soon perked up, his eyes scanning the area.

_But...more importantly, where's my sister? She wasn't kidnapped, was she? She wouldn't skip out on my wedding day...would she?_

Nick frowned, his fists clenching.

_Where is she?_

"_Don't worry!! You'll see me for sure!!"_

His frown deepened.

_What business could she possibly have? Is it really that important?_

"Nick," Momoko called, worried. "Do you have any idea who that was? It was the Delegates of Darkness, wasn't it?"

"Most likely," he responded, huffing. "I'll deal with them later, what I want to know is where the heck my sister is..."

_Yuki-chan..._

"_You'll see me for sure!!"_

_Did I do something to upset her? What happened?_

"Yuki-chan's not here?" Moriko wondered as she looked around, confused.

"B-But we got her a dress and everything," Akemi continued, her eyes sparkling in disbelief. "What could have happened?"

"Maybe she's just bein' overdramatic again," Aiko suggest, sighing a bit. "We all know how Yuki-chan can be."

_That girl..._

"But even if that's true, something must be really wrong to make her miss Kellysi-chan's wedding like this!!" Hazuki exclaimed, already concerned. Onpu nodded.

_But..._

"It just isn't like her..."

_So I'm still worried..._

"Then what could have happened?" Doremi wondered as her cheeks puffed up. "Ne Kellysi-chan, did you two get in a fight?"

"Onee-chan..." Poppu sighed while Nick just shook his head.

"No... She seemed pretty happy before she disappeared... But she also looked sad, I just thought that..."

_I thought that it was nothing big._

"Did she act strangely?" Fami asked, her voice stiff.

_Maybe..._

He slowly shook his head again.

_I was clearly wrong, but still..._

"No... Actually..."

"This is bad; Yuki-chan's missing," Kurumi groaned, holding her chin in thought. "Where could she have gone, anyway?"

_Oh, Yuki-chan..._

"Nick, don't worry, we'll find her," Momoko stated soothingly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "And THEN we'll go persecute the idiot who ruined our wedding..."

"Good idea," Doremi noted, while the other Ojamajos just sweatdropped.

_Momo-chan..._

"Will you be alright, though?" Riiko asked, worried.

"No worries, Riiko-chan, Yumi-chan, you two take care of the people here, okay?" Nick asked, winking. Riiko and Yumi both nodded.

"Sure thing."

"Haruka-chan, Leaf..." Nick began before the two shook their heads.

"We'll go looking," Haruka stated, her voice firm. "After all..."

"Yuki-chan's our friend, too." Ichiyou finished as her hand tightened around Haruka's.

"Don't you DARE leave Akemi-chan and me out of this, Nick-kun!!" Moriko growled, clearly displeased. "We're looking for Yuki-chan, TOO!!"

Akemi just nodded.

"I'm worried... So I want to find her... Please understand..."

_Yuki-chan..._

Nick cracked a smile at that.

"I wasn't even going to dream about it, Mori-chan."

"That's good."

"But we need to hurry if we want to find her quickly," Kurumi quipped, looking irritated. "We all know how just plain BAD Yuki-chan's sense of direction is."

"Point taken," Nick stated before he took a deep breath. "Alright Ojamajos, move out!!"

"Right!"

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"Nick, do you really think Yuki went this way?"

"She turned off her aura, Momoko... It's only a hunch."

"She's YOUR sister, Nick-kun..."

"M-Moriko-chan, that isn't helping..."

"Still Akemi-chan..."

"Will you two be quiet?! We need to focus on finding Yuki-chan here!!"

"Kurumi-chan..."

Nick sighed heavily as he looked about, desperate for even a glimpse of his missing sister.

_Last time this happened... She's so reckless... She could be hurt right now!!_

He shut his eyes tightly.

_But what went wrong? Why did she leave? I just don't understand... Yuki-chan..._

"Nick-kun, get a hold of yourself!!" Moriko shouted, shaking him by the shoulders, making him dizzy for a few seconds.

"T-Thanks Mori-chan... I needed that..."

"You're such an idiot," the jade witch groaned, going back to looking for the black witch.

"Now, where's your just as idiotic and lovable little sister?"

"Moriko-chan..." Akemi murmured, sighing.

"What I wanna know is why she ran off," Kurumi stated as she folded her arms. "It's just so unlike Yuki-chan..."

"Tell me about it," Moriko and Akemi muttered at the same time, making them both deeply blush.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Nick rambled on, still confused. "What did I DO?"

"We'll ask when we find her," Momoko stated, sighing.

"But first, we have to find her."

"Point taken."

"...Say, Nick-kun?"

Nick perked up, a bit confused as Akemi stared at him.

"K-Kurumi-chan once said... There was this time where Yuki-chan..."

She suddenly stopped, blushing a deep red and shook her head.

"Never mind!!" she cried, rushing off.

"Wait, Akemi-chan!!" Moriko exclaimed, quickly rushing after her.

"Mori-chan!! Akemi-chan!! This really isn't the time!!" Nick groaned as the rest of them quickly followed after the two girls.

_What else could go wrong?_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Somewhere above the city, two figures can be seen floating in mid-air, watching the chaos that has erupted in the city.

"Seems like our plan worked," the first figure stated.

"I just can't sense her aura anymore... I think she turned it off..." the second figure responded.

"I didn't know she could turn off her aura like that..."

"You should know all about her, right, _buddy_?"

"Damn it, Waltz, I told you NEVER TO CALL ME THAT!!!!"

Waltz just snickered. "It's just so much fun pushing your buttons, Gargos."

Gargos growled at that. "One more out-of-line comment, Waltz, and I'll make you wish the master had never resurrected you!!!"

"Calm down, Gargos. I'm just teasing you," Waltz responded. "So, what's the next step?"

"What else? Find the black witch, and extract her divine power."

"Yes, Gargos, I know. But HOW are we going to do that this time, and without screwing everything up? The master said that if we fail this time, we're goners."

Gargos peered into the sky, where a massive structure shrouded in shadow can be seen.

"I think I know just the way."

Waltz actually seemed a bit surprised at this. "You're not possibly considering... Abel's Ark?"

"Desperate times, Waltz. This is our final chance, and we must do everything we possibly can to eliminate those brats."

"Understood."

"Good to see you're actually agreeing with me for once, Waltz."

"It's just like you said, Gargos. Desperate times."

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"What the hell?!" Aiko exclaimed once the Ojamajos made it to the main part of the city; shadowed figures were everywhere, wreaking all sorts of chaos.

"There's dark freaks everywhere!!!" Moriko exclaimed. "What in the world's going on?!"

"My guess is that the Delegates of Darkness have finally had enough of us," Nick responded. "Well, I for one am not going to stand for it!! Momoko, you wanna help me take these freaks down?"

"I'd be delighted, sweetie," Momoko responded, joining hands with Nick.

"_Spirits of the earth..."_ Nick chanted, his hand tightening around Momoko's.

"_Spirits of the stars...."_ Momoko continued, glowing with a white aura.

"_Lend us your wills and give up the power to grant a miracle!! Our beautiful souls shall crush your dark heart!!"_ they both exclaimed, the force around them becoming tense.

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw!!"_

The massive beam of golden light shot into the crowd of shadowed figures, scattering them easily.

"Take THAT!!!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Looks like you still haven't changed much, brats."

Nick perked up at THAT voice. "Oh, no... please don't tell me that's who I think it is..."

Nick spun around and noticed Gargos and Black Waltz Three floating there, very much alive.

"What the...? This day just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?!" Aiko screamed.

"Wait just a minute!! How the heck are you two still alive?!" Nick exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Gargos and Waltz.

"Our master was kind enough to resurrect us," Gargos responded.

"Didn't see THAT coming," Kurumi stated sarcastically.

"We've decided to launch one final, all-out assault on your pathetic city," Waltz explained. "We've pretty much had it up to here with you brats' continued attempts at resistance."

_"The gracefulness of a girl who can dream, take this!! Ojamajo Aura Star!!"_

Flurries of golden energy beams shot from Momoko's open hands, pushing Waltz back a few feet.

"Whoa... that was a HELL of a lot stronger than the last time I saw that move..." Haruka noted.

"Momoko gets quite strong when she's angry," Nick explained. "And I think I know why she's angry."

"You two freaks made a BIG MISTAKE in ruining my wedding day," Momoko growled.

"Like we even care about that," Gargos shot back.

"Oh, yeah? Then maybe you'll listen to THIS!!!"

Before Gargos or Waltz could wonder who had said that, a massive burst of golden energy shot from seemingly out of nowhere, slamming both villains into a nearby building.

"Was that...?" Momoko asked.

"It was," Nick responded.

At that point, Nick and Momoko's daughter Sakura appeared on the scene, already clothed in her Purifier uniform.

"Good to be back in this time!!" Sakura exclaimed. "I just wish I could have been at your wedding..."

"It would have been weird," Momoko giggled.

"Besides, we've got a couple wedding crashers to destroy first, right?" Nick continued.

"Exactly," Sakura giggled before reaching for her wand. Nick and Momoko did the very same thing.

"_Stab the enemy, Suzumebachi!!"_

"_Wink towards your lover!! Hotokegi!!"_

"_Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari, shine down!!"_

Once all three weapons were gripped in their respective owners' hands, Momoko suddenly wondered something. "Say, Sakura-chan, if you're here, does that mean that Mana-chan and Satoshi-kun are here, too?"

"They'll be around," Sakura stated. "They're helping their dad look for their mom."

"And in the meantime, let's trash these wedding wreckers," Nick challenged, charging for Gargos and Waltz. Momoko and Sakura did the same thing.

As the battle was about to begin, only one thought seemed to keep running through Nick's mind like a freight train.

_Yuki-chan... where are you?_

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Satoshi-kun, where's otou-chan?"

"How am I supposed to know?! Urgh... I think we're lost."

"We are NOT lost... We just don't know where we are for the time being."

"That's the definition of lost, Mana-chan."

"For the time being, for the time being!!" Mana snapped, already getting into one of her childish temper-tantrums. "I know where we are now, so THERE!!"

Satoshi stared at her, his eye twitching as he groaned.

"You never change, sis."

"Hmph!"

_Geez... It's almost unbelievable that otou-san always says she takes after him..._ Satoshi thought to himself, sighing. _What am I thinking?_

"So... Do you sense otou-chan yet?"

"No, not yet, Mana-chan..."

He suddenly perked up, eyes wide.

_Wait..._

"Mana-chan, Satoshi-kun, my hunch was right."

"DADDY!!" Mana squealed, immediately rushing into her future father's arms, earning Satoshi to let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh... Hi, dad."

"Hey you two," Saiki greeted, ruffling Mana's hair as she squealed with delight. "What are you doing in this time?"

Satoshi frowned at that, letting out a sigh.

"Well..."

"Trouble brewing, huh?" Saiki shook his head, sighing. "Yuki-chan's in trouble again, isn't she?"

"Actually otou-chan," Mana stated as she separated from her future father, now worried. "We were hoping you knew what was wrong with her."

"I believe it's... Well..." Satoshi began thinking, his brown eyes hazy in thought. "It has something to do with a promise you two made..."

Saiki's eyes soon widened in that.

_From _that_ time?_

He bit down his lip, growling.

_That idiot!!_

"We have to hurry, you two."

"Huh?"

The two kids perked up, confused.

"O-Otou-san..."

"I'm sorry you two," he continued, frowning deeply as he pressed his hand to his forehead, sighing. "This is my fault."

Mana and Satoshi looked at each other.

"Otou-san, what are you talking about?" Satoshi asked, still lost. "If Yuki-chan's being reckless and thoughtless again, it's not your fault, otou-san..."

Saiki smiled at that, patting the top of Satoshi's head, making him blush.

"Otou-san...?"

"Satoshi-kun, there are still some things you don't understand about Yuki-chan."

Satoshi's eyes glimmered at that with growing uncertainty.

"Saiki..."

"Otou-chan, if okaa-chan's in danger, we have to hurry, right?" Mana asked, to which he nodded.

"Of course."

"But you forget Mana-chan," Satoshi stated, sighing heavily. "Yuki-chan turned off her aura, it's impossible to sense her..."

Saiki's smile widened at that.

"Whether or not her aura's off or on, I know Yuki-chan well enough to find her _easily_."

The two younger siblings looked at each other.

"Now, let's get going."

"Right."

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"So... Uh... Don't mind if we ask but, what's going wrong with Yuki-chan, anyway?"

"It's a bit of a long story, Satoshi-kun..."

"No worries, otou-chan! Sato and I have plenty of time~!"

"You two never change..."

Saiki sighed, shuffling his hands in his pockets, frowning.

"But, still..."

_Such things can't be said... Not at a time like this..._

He looked up, biting his lip.

_Yuki-chan... What were you thinking?_

"I'm worried about okaa-chan," Mana sighed, shaking her head. "What do you think made her run off, Satoshi?"

"I don't know," Satoshi admitted, sighing himself. "I'm worried too, though..."

"Otou-chan knows, doesn't he? But he's so secretive, even now..."

"There's a reason for that, Mana-chan."

"G-Gomen ne, otou-chan..."

"No worries, you're right anyway."

"..."

Mana looked down, blushing.

_Otou-chan..._

Satoshi looked at his sister in worry and placed his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her, sighing.

"Look, Mana-chan..."

"Un. I'm perfectly fine, onii-chan. You don't need to be worried about me."

"Mana-chan..."

Mana smiled, pecking his cheek. "Thank you, though."

Saiki smiled himself at the heartwarming sight before shaking his head.

_Yuki-chan... No more misunderstandings... Alright? I'm sorry..._

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Yuki stopped as she reached her destination, looking up at where the atmosphere seemed to split, leaving a beautiful yet ominous sight.

She let out a sigh of relief.

"It's still here... This day..."

The black witch walked towards the mysterious glowing, and reached into the collar of her shirt, pulling out the pendant her fiancé had given her, smiling as she tenderly caressed the crystals.

_You probably don't approve of this, Saiki-kun... I'm sorry..._

She tightened her hand around her pendant, looking up at the sky.

_Nick-kun... Don't look for me okay? I don't want to see you._

She bit her lip.

_If you try to stop me Nick-kun..._

Yuki quickly shook her head, banishing the thought.

_So close..._

She looked back up to the sky, her eyes glimmering.

_Delegates of Darkness... You're the only thing standing in my way of my happiness..._

Yuki stepped forward, and the wind blew, making her sigh.

_I don't like that._

She raised her hand, which began glowing a bright black.

"That's going to end. If I can be with the ones I love, even a fall into darkness won't get in the way of our happiness... No one's allowed to get in the way. No one."

_Not even you, onii-chan._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Stand still, brat!!!" Gargos exclaimed, lashing out at Nick, who easily countered with a flying kick.

"You still haven't changed, have you, Gargos?" Nick growled, firing off a quick Ojamajo Arrow of Light to get some breathing room.

"I could say the same for you, brat," Gargos responded before nailing Nick with a powerful shockwave.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you, freak," Momoko stated. "That's my HUSBAND you just hit."

"Oh, so you two got married?" Waltz taunted. "Now I'm glad we decided to crash the party."

"THAT'S IT!!!" Momoko exclaimed, raising Hotokegi into the air. "The kid gloves are about to come off!!"

With that, Hotokegi began glowing, and Momoko smiled brightly.

"_A shining love that will never die!! Kagayaiteiru Hotokegi!!"_

With that, Momoko's weapon began glowing with an intense light that rivaled that of Yuki's Shutsuga Tobiume.

"Let's see how you like this!!" Momoko exclaimed, readying her weapon. _"SPIRAL HEART!!!"_

With that, Momoko slammed her weapon into the ground, unleashing a wave of energy hearts that knocked Gargos right to the ground.

"Desperate times, right, Gargos?" Waltz mocked.

"Oh, shut your trap," Gargos shot back.

"How about I shut your trap for you?" Nick taunted. _"Aura Crescent!!"_

Nick spun Hanyou Hikari in his hands, and this action released a spiral of silver energy blades that slashed mercilessly at Gargos.

"OH, OH!! Otou-san, can I finish these jerks off?" Sakura asked, gesturing to Suzumebachi.

"By all means, Sakura-chan," Nick responded, letting his rather hyper daughter step up.

Not wasting any time, Sakura leaped towards Gargos and Waltz, stabbing them both in the chest with Suzumebachi, each strike creating a flower mark.

"What the...?" Gargos asked, a bit confused.

Before Waltz could explain, Sakura rushed forward and struck again with Suzumebachi, jamming the weapon's needle in the exact same spots she'd struck before.

Gargos immediately lurched forward in pain as Suzumebachi's effect took its course.

"What... SORCERY...?" Gargos grunted.

"This... is the same weapon that sealed my fate... the last time I fought the brats..." Waltz explained. "I tried to warn you..."

"Why don't you just accept it?" Nick taunted. "As long as I live, there's no way you're going to win!!"

Smirking, Gargos and Waltz somehow managed to teleport high above the seventeen Ojamajos, already starting to channel the energy they had left.

"It may be too late for us..." Gargos growled.

"But we'll use what remains of our power to destroy you wretched Ojamajos!!" Waltz finished.

The two villains thrust their hands straight for the Ojamajos and unleashed a massive torrent of dark energy.

"Guys, MOVE!!!" Doremi exclaimed.

"We can't!!! It's coming too fast!!!" Kurumi exclaimed.

"HANA-CHAN DOESN'T WANT TO DIE!!!!" Hana nearly screamed.

Just then, Nick rushed to the center of the Ojamajos and threw his arms outwards, creating a bright light that surrounded everyone present just as the dark energy was about to connect.

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"Um... are we dead...?"

"Not sure..."

"Could someone pinch... OUCH!!!! POPPU!!!"

"Well, you wanted someone to pinch you, right?"

"I didn't necessarily mean you!!"

"Is everyone all right?"

Once the light had died down enough for everyone to see clearly, they all noticed that Nick had used a good chunk of his power to throw up a barrier that had protected the Ojamajos from Gargos and Waltz's final attack.

"Jeez, Nick-kun, could you cut it a little CLOSER next time?!" Moriko exclaimed sarcastically.

"Hey, at least he saved our butts!!" Aiko shot back.

"Is everyone okay?" Nick asked again.

"Split-second timing saved us again," Momoko giggled. "Nick's good like that."

"Um... could someone please enlighten me as to what the hell THAT THING IS?!!" Ichiyou exclaimed, pointing at something in the sky. It turned out to be a massive space station-style structure with four orbs surrounding it, one green, one blue, one red, and one yellow.

"Good question," Momoko noted.

"Abel's Ark," a new voice stated. Nick turned around just in time to see Saiki, Mana, and Satoshi arrive.

"Took you long enough, guys!!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Any luck finding my sister?" Nick immediately asked.

"Nada," Mana responded. "I'm supposed to be a powerful night elemental for my age, and I STILL can't sense okaa-chan anywhere!!!"

"I don't know why she'd shut off her aura," Satoshi responded. "It seems all too weird. Where the heck could okaa-san be?"

"My guess is that she's probably on that Abel's Ark thing," Nick stated. "Um... speaking of which, Satoshi-kun, do you know exactly what Abel's Ark is?"

Satoshi shuddered at that name, causing Mana to rub his shoulders.

"Something that should have never been brought into this world," Satoshi stated.

"It's a long story," Mana continued. "Right now, we've gotta get on board that thing and trash it before it can do any damage!!"

"Okay, so what's the game plan here?" Doremi asked.

"Momoko, Saiki-kun, you and the kids are going to follow me onto that Abel's Ark thing. Hopefully we'll find Yuki-chan there," Nick explained. "The rest of you, take care of things down here. Now that Gargos and Waltz are done for, the rest of the Delegates of Darkness should be easy pickings."

"Got it, Kellysi-chan!!" Haruka exclaimed, giving a cute little salute.

"So you're leaving us behind AGAIN?!!" Moriko exclaimed.

"We need backup in case something goes horribly wrong on Abel's Ark," Momoko responded. "We'll call you if we need anything, okay?"

"And we're OFF!!!" Mana giggled.

With that, Nick, Momoko, Sakura, Mana, and Satoshi teleported away.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"It has to be around here somewhere..."

Yuki looked about as she walked through the dark and desolate halls, sighing heavily.

_It's so long... This will really take a while..._

She closed her eyes, trying to sense the energy she was trying to find, and the curls of her hair twitched as she opened her brown eyes, unclear in the darkness.

_Found it._

Yuki broke into a sprint, breathing heavily.

_I missed Nick-kun's wedding for this... It had better be worth it!!_

She shut her eyes tightly and halted, taking a deep inhale.

_No, no... It's worth it..._

The black witch looked up at the further darkness, her fists tightening.

_A promise between me and the one I love..._

Yuki's frown deepened.

_Almost reminds me of when Nick-kun first promised to protect me._

She clutched on her sides at the memory, shivering at the remembrance of the constant beatings from her own father, pounding endlessly and mercilessly on her frail body.

"_CUT IT OUT, DAD!!"_ Nick's voice rang out through her memory, banishing it as Yuki perked up, her eyes wide.

_And what about that other time? That pain was nothing compared to the agony of onii-chan's blade slicing through me... But that didn't even match up to the pain Saiki-kun was in..._

Her fists clenched as she gritted her teeth, growling.

_Saiki-kun..._

She shivered at the memory again.

_Their fight records over and over... I never worried about Nick-kun during it, only Saiki-kun... But it's okay... Nick-kun didn't mean it... I don't blame him._

Yuki bit her lip, almost drawing blood.

_I blame me. Those two fought... Because of me... Saiki-kun was worried about me... And Nick-kun hated that he was questioned on his ability to protect his little sister..._

"_If you don't learn to master those powers of yours soon, you're going to end up losing control of yourself. And God help you, if you harm Yuki-chan..."_

"_Just what do you think you're implying, Saiki-kun?! You know as well as any of us that I would NEVER hurt my little sister!!"_

_Wait, you two..._

She shook her head, gasping.

_NO!! Don't!! Not because of me... Saiki-kun... Nick-kun... It's okay..._

Yuki perked up, sighing.

_Not anymore. I won't be a burden... But..._

She let out a feral growl, bolting forward as fast as her feet could take her.

_I can't allow that! Not anymore!_

Yuki shut her eyes tightly, cutting off the last that held her back.

_No one's going to get in the way. No one._

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"Alright, so what are we looking for anyway, Mana-chan?"

"Just a way to destroy it, jii-chan!!"

"There should be a generator around here, somewhere... Perhaps a power source?"

"Excellent idea, cousin!!"

Satoshi sighed heavily, reaching up to ruffle his black hair, brown eyes glimmering.

"But we need to find okaa-san first..."

Nick nodded in agreement, gulping.

"I still don't understand... What reason could Yuki-chan have for disappearing?"

"She could have been kidnapped," Momoko offered before thinking. "But wouldn't Waltz and Gargos mention it back at the battle?"

"They tend to show off like that, huh?" Sakura giggled while Nick shook his head.

"The more I think about it, the more it doesn't make sense... I'm just so confused..."

"Otou-san, didn't you mention earlier that you might have an idea as to _why_ Yuki-chan disappeared?" Satoshi asked, grabbing BOTH Saiki's and Nick's attention.

The two soon glared at each other, already tense.

"Great job, onii-chan." Mana groaned, rolling her eyes while Satoshi muttered a quick 'sorry'.

"Saiki-kun... You really haven't learned your lesson, have you?" Nick growled, clearly displeased at the thought of being left in the dark.

Saiki made a "huh" sound. "What can I say? It wasn't something _worth_ sharing to you, Nick-kun."

"If it has anything to do with my sister, I can't imagine why you'd bother hiding it anyway!!"

"Nick, stop it," Momoko pleaded, taking Nick's arm in an attempt to halt this without the blatant anger escalating.

"Otou-chan," Mana began, taking the same position with Saiki. "Please don't..."

"What do you mean it's not worth sharing?! If it's about Yuki-chan..." Saiki quickly cut Nick off, his voice calm.

"You need to realize that you don't have to be there for Yuki-chan in _every_ part of her life, Nick-kun."

"What?!" the green witch exclaimed, clearly not taking too lightly to that.

"Learn _patience_," Saiki stated in a firmer voice, like he was scolding a preschooler. "If Yuki-chan has her secrets, let her. She's not as helpless as you make her out to be..."

"Otou-san, isn't that a bit harsh?" Satoshi wondered in a shaky voice while Sakura held her own father back.

"Saiki-kun... You... YOU...!!"

"Otou-san, this isn't the time to be fighting!!" Sakura exclaimed, trying to shake some sense into him. "Cut it OUT!!"

"Go on, let it out," Saiki stated, his voice low. "Yuki-chan's not around, so she won't have to hear it."

THAT got Nick to his senses.

"You... You know where she is, don't you?"

Now everyone was surprised while Saiki just sighed.

"You're just now figuring it out, Nick-kun?"

That was officially it for Nick's patience as he broke out of Momoko's and Sakura's grip, rushing forward and gripping Saiki's shirt collar, lifting his free fist in a warning.

"_TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!!"_

Saiki said nothing, but looked a little discouraged, though it quickly faded away as his expression turned stoic cold.

"That's no business of yours, Nick-kun."

"Nick, don't!!" Momoko exclaimed, taking his shoulder. "We don't have time for this!!"

Nick perked up at that and groaned.

"But you KNOW where Yuki-chan is... Don't you? What if she's in danger, Saiki-kun?!"

"Do you honestly think I wouldn't tell you where she is if I knew that?"

He said nothing at that but reluctantly backed off and released him, allowing Saiki to rub where he was grabbed, Mana quickly clinging to his arm.

"Otou-chan..."

"Um..." Satoshi just looked at Nick and shrugged, earning him to growl.

Sakura quickly pulled her father forward, hoping to avoid another argument with Momoko beside her, tugging on Nick's other arm.

Mana and Satoshi looked at Saiki in confusion before he simply followed, his eyes closed as they walked beside him like a pair of bodyguards.

"Is it true?" Mana whispered so that Nick wouldn't hear. "Do you know where okaa-chan is?"

Saiki sighed at that.

"In time, in time, Mana-chan."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick tried his best to restrain his anger; quite a feat at this point in time.

_He STILL hasn't learned,_ Nick thought. _He still doesn't understand that Yuki-chan is precious to me, no matter what route our lives take..._

"Saiki-kun... if you know where she is... at least tell me Yuki-chan's all right..." Nick asked.

Saiki just smirked. "Remember. Patience."

Something bothered Sakura about the look in her father's eyes. Just then, a horrifying realization struck her.

_Oh, no... not again..._

And that was just about it for Nick and his patience. The green witch quickly summoned Hanyou Hikari, rushing forward and slamming Saiki into a nearby wall.

"Listen to me, Saiki-kun," Nick growled, already finished with playing nice. "When are you going to understand that Yuki-chan is precious to me? What in the hell do I have to do to get that fact through your thick head?!"

Saiki just grinned. "If you would just talk it out without getting angry at someone who's only trying to help you..."

Growling loudly, Nick picked up Saiki and smashed him right into the ground. "Don't give me that load of nonsense!!! I can see it in your eyes. Even after everything that happened, you STILL don't trust me OR Yuki-chan. You never have!!"

"You're just now figuring this out?!" Saiki snapped back, stepping to his feet. "I've already told you how much I'd wish I could be in your shoes. You've had Yuki-chan by your side from the very beginning!!! Do you understand what I'd give to be in your position? I don't have anyone BUT Yuki-chan!!! Even my own brother doesn't need me anymore!!"

"That's no reason for you to spaz out whenever I get worried about Yuki-chan!!!" Nick exclaimed, brandishing Hanyou Hikari dangerously close to Saiki. "When will you understand... I love her more than life itself, but you obviously can't see that, CAN YOU?!!"

That was pretty much it for Saiki and his own patience.

"_MAKURAYAMI!!!!"_

The massive sphere of dark energy thundered forward, knocking Nick straight into one of the walls.

"When are YOU going to learn to control your patience?" Saiki shot back. "I've been trying to get you to learn some for almost four years now, but you JUST DON'T GET IT, DO YOU?!"

"You have no idea who you're messing with, buddy," Nick growled.

"Why don't you learn your place?" Saiki shot back.

And that was it for Nick, who rushed forward and delivered a vicious attack from Hanyou Hikari, creating a bit of a wound.

"I've had just about enough of you, Saiki-kun," Nick stated.

"Nick-jii-chan... you wouldn't..." Mana asked, stepping up and making it clear what she was going to do.

"Stay back, Mana-chan," Nick stated, not wanting Mana to get caught up in the crossfire. However, this only seemed to make Saiki angrier.

"Don't you DARE talk down to my own daughter!!!" Saiki exclaimed.

Just then, something unlocked itself inside Saiki, causing him to rise into the air, covered by an immense dark aura.

A massive dark flash covered the area, and when it cleared, everyone present gasped in shock.

"O-otou-chan?" Mana gasped.

"Dare I ask what happened?" Sakura wondered.

Saiki's entire body had just turned completely purple, his eyes a sinister-looking shade of blue, and a pair of devilish-looking angel wings had sprouted from his back.

Even Nick had to back up a few steps upon witnessing Saiki's new form.

"Oh... oh, hell..." Nick stated upon realizing what had just happened.

"What's wrong, Nick?" Momoko asked.

"You know how Saiki-kun's always kept the full force of his night elemental powers locked up so he wouldn't lose his sense of self or hurt the ones he loves?" Nick explained.

"Yeah?" Sakura asked.

Then, it quickly struck Mana and Satoshi. "Does... does that mean that otou-chan..."

Nick couldn't do much but nod. "That lock just broke. Saiki-kun's unleashed his full power. And as much as I hate to admit it..."

Nick took a good look at Saiki in his new form. "His full power far surpasses my own. And since I'll bet he lost his sense of self when he transformed, he's not going to be holding back."

Nick kept a tight grip on Hanyou Hikari, just in case. "I hate to say it, but I think I might be screwed here."

Not saying anything, Saiki rushed forward, his hands out.

Before Nick even knew what had hit him, he had been slashed at multiple times by copious amounts of vicious dark energy, leaving quite a few wounds.

Before anyone else could even react, Saiki continued his attack by unleashing a massive shockwave that Nick couldn't dodge in time, consequently getting slammed into the wall.

Nick barely unstuck himself from the wall he'd been slammed into when Saiki had rushed him again, forming a dark energy sword like the type Yuki liked to use and slashing viciously at Nick, creating a rather large gash across his chest.

"NICK!!!!" Momoko exclaimed, fearing for her husband's life.

Saiki then grabbed Nick by his shirt collar, raising the energy sword and saying three words in a completely distorted voice.

"You are done."

Not saying anything more, Saiki thrust the energy sword towards Nick's heart...

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"NO!!"

Yuki gasped as she fell to her knees, shivering like she was freezing.

_What's going on...? M-My heart is racing... But it feels like it's surrounded by needles... It feels like I'm being ripped apart..._

"No..." she whispered again in disbelief. "Something's happening to Saiki-kun... Right?"

_No... No... Not Saiki-kun, anyone but Saiki-kun!! But also..._

Yuki grasped her sides, trying to hold herself together.

_N-Nick-kun... Is something going on with you, too?_

She crouched closer to the ground, whimpering as she felt a flashback invade her mind.

"_STOP IT YOU TWO!!" she yelled, running in between her brother and the guy she was in love with, arms spread out as if in protection as she faced Nick._

"_Yuki-chan, get OUT of the way!!" Nick growled, still VERY upset with what Saiki had said._

_Yuki shook her head._

"_N-No Nick-kun... I told you before... You're not allowed to hurt Saiki-kun! If you hurt him Nick-kun, I'll never speak to you ever __**again**__!!"_

_Nick snapped at that, shocked._

"_B-But... But he started it..." It was a pretty childish thing to say, but it was all he could come up with._

"_I don't care!! Saiki-kun won't hurt you, so you can't hurt him!!"_

"_I'm not so sure about that, Yuki-chan," Saiki sighed from behind her, making her perk up._

"_Saiki-kun... I know you and Nick-kun don't get along, but at least act civil to each other...okay?"_

_He stared at her in curiosity but let out another sigh._

"_I'll try, Yuki-chan."_

_Yuki smiled in relief before turning back to Nick._

"_And YOU, Nick-kun... Remember, don't lose your temper so much... Okay?"_

_Nick blushed at that, and finally just nodded, groaning. It was always pointless to argue when his sister made that face._

_The black witch brightened up and soon took Nick's hand, and then Saiki's with her other hand, surprising them both._

"_Yuki-chan?"_

"_Let's make a promise to all stay together, okay?" Yuki grinned widely as she said this. "Nick-kun, you NEVER break your promises, and Saiki-kun, you abhor the idea as well, so this will be a great way to get you two to get along!!"_

_Both boys stared at her, a little surprised how much sense that made._

"_O-KAY!" Yuki squealed, pulling their hands close as she soon placed her hands upon them both. "Ya-ku-so-ku! There! Now we're all friends tied."_

"_It can't be helped," Saiki sighed, smiling at his girlfriend's silly tactics._

_Nick shrugged as well, also smiling at his sister. "Whatever."_

_Yuki's smile widened as she closed her eyes in joy._

"_Yokatta, ne?"_

_I should have known..._

Yuki blinked as a drop of moisture found its way to the floor, now aware of the tears trickling down her cheeks.

_It's never that easy with those two... A day may come..._

She looked up, her tearstained eyes glittered.

_Where I may have to chose between those two..._

Yuki reached up to wipe away her tears, sighing.

_I always chose to protect Saiki-kun when they get in a fight, and it's always Nick-kun who I threaten..._

She blinked, not quite getting it.

_That idiotic older brother of mine... He already decided he wanted to protect someone else when he got married to Momo-chan!! Oh no, I don't blame him for getting married... But what he doesn't understand..._

Yuki bit her lip, her eyes glimmering.

_With Saiki-kun, it's not like that... He won't get swept away by some other girl... I won't allow it. I'm not as lenient with him as I am with Nick-kun..._

_**Ta-thump.**_

_But..._

She shut her eyes tightly, grimacing.

"S-Saiki-kun... Whatever this feeling is... Saiki-kun, don't..."

_I'm still being ripped apart, and I feel all alone... Even Nick-kun can't help right now!!_

"P-Please..." her voice cracked, and her fists tightened. "Please, no..."

_Stop the pain, stop it all! Smile, please, just smile one more time!!_

"PLEASE DON'T DO IT, _SAIKI-KUN_!!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Guess this is it..._ Nick thought to himself while he sighed. _The irony, killed by Saiki-kun like this... I always thought I'd kill him..._

_And I never did find Yuki-chan._

"OTOU-CHAN, DON'T!!!" Mana screamed, freaking out. "Y-You don't know what you're doing!!"

"Mana-chan, don't get any closer!!" Satoshi ordered, blocking his sister from going any further. "I can't risk you getting hurt, too... Even if it is otou-san..."

Saiki suddenly stopped his blade, and Nick let out a cry of pain, gritting his teeth as he opened his eyes, causing them to widen as soon as he saw the sword plunged into his chest, just barely missing his heart.

Nick coughed out a bit of blood and looked at the corrupted wizard in question, turning surprised at the sudden look of hesitation in his clouded blue eyes.

"S-Saiki-kun...?" he croaked, though it hurt to speak. He responded to this by twisting the blade, prolonging his agony.

"NICK!!" Momoko exclaimed, not knowing how much she can take. "Saiki-kun, PUT HIM DOWN!!"

"D-Don't okaa-san," Sakura whimpered, completely lost on what to do. "If you try to help... He'll kill him for sure... A-And I'll disappear..."

"Otou-chan wouldn't do that!" Mana snapped, still stubborn, though also numb on what was going on. "Otou-chan wouldn't kill jii-chan... N-Not like this..."

Nick winced as he shivered, not sure how much he could take. _He regained himself for a moment... But that's clearly not the case anymore... What can I do?_

Saiki stared at him like he was trying to solve a puzzle, and drove his sword further in, earning the green witch to nearly choke on his own blood.

_He'll die at this rate,_ his mind noted. _If I hadn't of missed... This would be so much quicker... And I could have avoided this unnecessary torture._

_But do you really _want_ to kill him? _A weak voice asked in his mind, making his eyes widen.

"_Saiki-kun, don't."_ His ears perked up on the soft whimper, making his eyes go blank with recognition.

_Yu...ki...chan?_

"_P-Please... Please, no..."_

Saiki blinked a few times but soon shook his head to clear the voice and gripped his sword handle, getting ready to finish Nick off while he had the chance.

"_PLEASE DON'T DO IT, SAIKI-KUN!!!"_

The world seemed to freeze upon hearing that, even though he was sure Nick couldn't hear it.

_Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan..._

A conversation the two of them had flashed through his mind and it was more than enough to make him snap to his senses.

"_You really like Nick-kun, don't you, Yuki-chan?"_

"_Is that a crime, Saiki-kun? I bet you like Akatsuki-kun a lot, too."_

"_...Yeah..."_

"_It's amazing how much we have in common; our black hair, our last names starting with 'shi', our onii-chans..."_

"_Yuki-chan, that's a little..."_

"_But you know something, Saiki-kun?"_

"_Hm...?"_

"_If Nick-kun were to ever die... I think... I think my life would lose its light."_

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Nick screamed from the pain of the younger prince yanking his sword out of him, doing much more harm than meant.

He opened his eyes, breathing carefully so it wouldn't hurt as much, and noticed some of Saiki's usual coal-black color had returned to his eyes and nearly choked.

_Saiki-kun...?_

Saiki looked down, his eyes glimmering as he stared at the vermillion stain on the blade, dripping with Nick's blood as he scanned up to the gash itself, bleeding dangerously.

A normal person would have been dead by now.

"_Please stop, don't do it,"_ Yuki's voice continued pleading with him, making his grip unconsciously tighten on Nick's shirt collar as he nearly choked, disgusted by the repulsed smell of blood.

Saiki directed his curious gaze back to Nick's eyes, and his girlfriend's older brother seemed to be pleading with him.

_Don't do this._

The younger prince looked back at the bloodstained sword and a grimace curled around his lips.

He sure was stubborn to live.

"Saiki-kun..." Nick harshly growled, though gasping a bit in pain, blood trickling from his lips as he tried desperately to cover the gash to prevent more blood from being lost.

Saiki perked up at that.

_Have seconds really passed? He'll be dead in a minute if this keeps up... But, still..._

"_No... Saiki-kun..."_ There was Yuki's voice again.

His eyes squinted, turning darker into their usual coal black color, and he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"_He's my onii-chan, and I love him,"_ Yuki's voice laughed in a memory, making him perk up in horror.

_Onii-chan..._

"_T-That d-demon child... Who KNEW of its power!?"_

_Akatsuki held his brother closer to him at that statement, tenderly caressing his hair in an attempt to calm him down._

"_You don't know what you're talking about, Oyijiide-san..." he muttered carefully, his eyes glimmering. "Saiki-kun's not capable of that and you know it..."_

"_Ouji-sama, I know this is hard to believe," another wizard began, only bringing more tears to Saiki's eyes as he sniffled into his older brother's embrace. "But he's dangerous."_

"_You're right," Akatsuki sighed, nearly making his younger brother choke. "That IS hard to believe."_

"_His elemental energy doesn't work the same way yours does, ouji-sama," Oyijiide stated in a stiff voice. "If he loses control of his power, he could kill you!!"_

"_I-I would never..."_

"_Shh," Akatsuki murmured to him before shaking his head. "That doesn't matter to me."_

_Oyijiide looked incredulous._

"_Ouji-sama..."_

"_He's still my brother, Oyijiide-san, understand that." The older prince sighed heavily, his grip tightening around his younger twin. "I'm not going to throw him away just because he's 'dangerous' as you say..."_

"_But, your majesty..."_

"_Saiki-kun, promise me one thing." Akatsuki stated in a stiff voice, making Saiki perk up._

"_O-Onii-chan?"_

"_Don't ever let your power get the better of you... It probably won't in the future, but just in case... Promise me you'll keep yourself under control? I don't want you to do something you know you'll regret."_

_Saiki stared, not quite comprehending, but nodded._

"_A-Anything, onii-chan."_

_...Anything? Then what am I doing right now? Onii-chan..._

Nick perked up when he heard the sword fall to the ground with a clang, letting out an audible gasp.

"Saiki-kun...?"

His eyes widened when Saiki seemed to revert back to his old self, the hand holding his shirt collar trembling.

"Otou-chan..." Mana gasped, relieved.

Nick's hand tightened on his chest, wincing.

"S-Saiki-kun... If you're really back to your old self... Put me down, now."

"...nii-chan..."

"H-Huh?"

Nick's expression shifted from pained to shock when Saiki looked up, his eyes wide like an innocent child's plagued with a pain one could only get from having lost what is most important to them.

He'd seen that look on Yuki only when she thought he was dead.

"Saiki-kun..." he began only to clutch at his chest again with a gasp, trying to force the blood back in its wound as the younger prince released him, earning Sakura and Momoko to quickly rush to his sides, worried.

"Nick!!"

"Otou-san, don't move anymore!! He missed the vital organs, but if you lose anymore blood..."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Nick muttered weakly, trying not to breathe too hard. "Hey, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki still seemed to be in shock and his eyes filled with tears as he bit his thumb, almost drawing blood.

"S-Sorry, nii-chan... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"Saiki-kun, I'm over it." Nick stated, a little weirded out by his breakdown. "It's alright..."

_I've never seen Saiki-kun cry before. Not once. Seeing him like this, though... It's just...mind-boggling._

Saiki shook his head, his voice shaking.

"I-I broke the promise I made... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry... I'm sorry..."

"Otou-chan, it's alright!" Mana exclaimed, rushing to her future father's side, rubbing his shoulder in comfort. "Hey, hey, it's okay..."

Satoshi's eyes glimmered as he walked forward as well, reaching out towards him in uncertainty.

"D-Dad...?"

_I'd never thought he'd have a breakdown like this..._

"I'm sorry..." the wizard choked again, his voice cracking on the confusing apology. "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry..."

"If all you're going to do is apologize, isn't enough if I just forgive you already?!" Nick demanded before wincing due to his injuries, causing Momoko to plead with him to just stay down.

"N-No..." was Saiki's simple reply. "I-I didn't mean to..."

"Otou-chan, it's alright," Mana repeated, almost desperate. "Please stop... This is just heartbreaking... Jii-chan already said he forgave you..."

"I don't think..." Satoshi began, his eyes widening in slow realization. "I don't think otou-san's looking towards _Nick_ for forgiveness."

Saiki muffled a sob to confirm that.

"O-Onii-chan... Yuki-chan... I... I'm... I'm sorry..."

Nick's eyes soon widened as well.

_Saiki-kun..._

"Come on otou-chan, calm down," Mana pleaded again, reaching to pat the top of his head, making him flinch at the touch before looking at his daughter with those still tearstained eyes. She quickly smiled.

"If Nick-kun forgives you... Isn't that enough reason to stop apologizing? Because he's the least forgiving... The fact that he forgives you means everyone else does, too..."

"Ma...Mana-chan..." Saiki soon wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled. "Thank you, but it's kind of hard for me to explain..."

Mana beamed.

"Oh daddy..."

"Enough of that!!" Sakura exclaimed, grabbing their attention. "Otou-san won't survive much longer at this rate!!"

"I'm not going to die," Nick muttered under his breath before wincing again, earning Momoko to exclaim his name.

"Nick!! H-Hang in there..."

Saiki's eyes widened in horror again but he quickly snapped out of it, his breathing hitched.

"I-I don't have the same powers as onii-chan... But, there is one thing I might be able to try..."

"Well, what are you waiting for, jii-san?!" Sakura exclaimed hotly, already impatient. "HURRY!!"

"Don't rush otou-chan, Sakura-chan!!" Mana scolded before Saiki shushed her.

"But of course, there is the issue that I've never actually used _Makurayami_ like this before..."

"What are the risks?" Nick asked warily.

Saiki decided not to answer that, and he got the basic idea.

"...Fine. Do whatever...ouch."

"If you say so," the wizard whispered as he raised his hands, which began glowing a dark black.

"_Makurayami!!"_

Nick cried out in pain as the spell hit, horrifying both Momoko and Sakura.

"SAIKI-KUN!!"

"Wait for it, wait for it," Saiki pleaded desperately, giving all his focus into the dark particles inside Nick's body from where the sword had stabbed him. "Please, please, please..."

Nick's screaming came to a halt as the spell faded and he clutched his chest again, only to perk up when he noticed the injury was gone.

"Wow... Thanks, Saiki-kun..."

"DON'T GET UP," he hissed, forcing Nick to sit back down, Momoko taking his hand. "The healing is only skin deep... Move too quickly, and you'll begin to bleed internally, and the only person I know who has the power to heal that without the use of a _soten kisshun_ would be onii-chan... Yuki-chan's not around, so she can't perform the spell... Also, in that condition, you can't really do anything..."

"You know where she is, don't you?" Nick asked again, his voice low. "Then FIND her, now you have a reason, too. I'd expect you to take responsibility, Saiki-kun."

Saiki frowned at that, sighing.

"You forget Nick-kun... You started it."

Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Just stay down for a bit, okay, Nick-kun?" Saiki stated, focusing more of his elemental power into helping Nick heal faster.

"Oh, yeah, THAT'S very reassuring..." Nick groaned.

"Before we decide what to do next... what exactly happened that made me do that?" Saiki wondered.

"Basically, something made you snap, and you pretty much unleashed your full power on Nick," Momoko responded. "It's a good thing you and I are pretty good friends, Saiki-kun, or I might have had to kill you for what you did to my husband."

"Just take good care of him, Momoko-chan," Saiki responded.

Momoko giggled at that. "Will do, Saiki-kun."

Saiki stared at Nick for a couple seconds, as if scanning the green witch's injuries.

"You're gonna have to stay down for a bit in the condition you're in, Nick-kun," Saiki stated. "I don't want you getting hurt anymore."

Nick couldn't help but smile at that. "Never thought I'd see the day that I'd agree with you on something..."

"Nick-kun, there's something I need to ask you," Saiki stated quite clearly. "Why have you never liked me?"

Nick was honestly quite surprised to hear Saiki ask something like that.

"Well... I... I guess it was jealousy at first," Nick explained. "It's kinda like what Yuki-chan felt when she discovered I was dating Momoko."

"Because Yuki-chan is precious to you, right?"

"Exactly. When I found out Yuki-chan was dating you, I was pretty jealous, but I got over it, for my sister's sake. Just like Momoko and me, Yuki-chan had apparently found someone wonderful in you. But there was still something mysterious about you that just bugged me to no end. I've never been one to sweat the small stuff, Saiki-kun, but I know something odd and out-of-place when I see it."

"I can relate to that," Saiki responded.

"I guess... I guess you could say that the real reason I never liked you that much is because I was envious of you..."

Needless to say, Saiki was DEFINITELY not expecting that.

"You... were envious... of ME?" the night elemental wondered, a little bewildered.

"Yeah... I know it's a shocker, but let me tell you why I was envious of you. I love Yuki-chan more than life itself, right?"

Momoko nodded, easily understanding the very special bond that Nick and Yuki shared.

"Well, when she hooked up with you, Saiki-kun, I started getting envious of both of you... there was something that you two shared... that despite my own bond with Yuki-chan, despite the fact that I was falling in love with Momoko, what you two shared was something I knew I'd never be able to have with her..."

Nick looked up towards the ceiling of Abel's Ark. "That's basically why I never really liked you that much... because you had something special with Yuki-chan that I'd never be able to experience..."

Nick looked at Saiki, his tree-brown eyes meeting Saiki's coal-black eyes. "And I hated that..."

Now understanding, Saiki had to smile. "I see that now."

At this, Saiki gently placed his hands on Nick's wounded chest, increasing the volume of his powers to hasten Nick's healing.

"Wow... never thought the power of darkness would be able to heal me..." Nick teased.

"Like I said, I've never actually used my Makurayami spell like this," Saiki responded. "But I'm just glad it didn't mess you up."

"Say, Saiki-kun?"

"Yeah, Nick-kun?"

"Why don't we just put all this madness behind us?" Nick offered.

Saiki's smile just continued to widen. Nick finally wanted to be real friends with him.

"I'd like nothing better, Nick-kun. Truce?"

"You know it," Nick responded, reaching out to clasp the night elemental's hand in his own.

Momoko smiled. "Good for you, Nick."

"There, that should take care of most of your injuries," Saiki stated. "Momoko-chan should be able to take care of the stuff I couldn't."

"Just relax, okay, honey?" Momoko stated, blushing at her first usage of such an intimate word. "This won't take long."

Momoko placed her hands gently onto her husband's chest and started concentrating.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

Silver energy washed through Nick's body, healing the last of the minor injuries brought on by the previous scuffle.

"There we go," Momoko giggled. "Good as new. Let's just try to take it easy for a bit, okay? Don't want you to relapse too quickly."

"You're too good to me, you know that?" Nick stated, causing his wife to blush.

"Okay, can we save the mushy stuff for later?" Mana exclaimed. "We still have to find okaa-chan here!!"

Suddenly, Saiki realized something. "Say, Nick-kun? I think I know why Yuki-chan might have been sad the last time I saw her."

"Really?" Nick responded, a little curious.

"It may be similar to my issue with onii-chan," Saiki explained. "Now that you and Momoko-chan are married, she believes you probably don't need her anymore."

"It's just I told Kurumi-chan before I got hitched," Nick responded. "No matter what path my life takes me through, I'll always love her."

"So, I guess mission number two is to find Yuki-chan?" Satoshi asked.

"Bingo, Satoshi-kun," Nick stated. "Only problem is, it looks like the generators on Abel's Ark are hindering our progress. I can sense four generators, so we're going to have to take all four down before we can get out of here."

"Mission one: destroy Abel's Ark from the inside. Mission two: find okaa-chan. Noted and memorized!!" Mana giggled.

"Let's go find the generators and destroy this stupid thing, already!!!" Sakura exclaimed, to which Momoko giggled.

"Saiki-kun, you can sense these things better than any of us," Nick stated. "Why don't you lead the way?"

Saiki smiled back at his friend. "I'd be glad to, Nick-kun."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"The first generator should be over here, but careful, the floor's not very..."

"Who CARES?!" Sakura exclaimed, rushing forward. "ONWARD!!"

However as soon as she ran into the hallway, the floor began trembling.

"SAKURA-CHAN!!" Nick yelled, rushing forward and grabbing his daughter before it collapsed.

"...stable." Saiki finished with a sigh, shuffling his hands in his pockets.

_These two..._

"You need to learn patience, Sakura-chan," Mana scolded her, earning Nick to just laugh.

_I guess Mana-chan really DOES take after Saiki-kun..._

"So... What do we do now?" Satoshi asked, question marks appearing.

"Don't worry, this will be _easy_," Momoko stated, holding up her poron.

"_Peruton petton pararira pon! Walkway, appear!!"_

Responding to the yellow witch's spell a glass yellow appeared in the places where the old walkway had collapsed, giving the group a chance to run through it before it vanished.

"Hurry, hurry..." Nick groaned before they got to the other edge, the walkway soon disappearing. "Thanks, Momoko."

"You're very welcome, darling."

"Okay..." Satoshi began, eager to change the subject. "Where's the generator?"

"Shouldn't be too much further from here, Satoshi-kun," Saiki responded as they began walking again.

"...Huh."

_It makes me wonder..._

Satoshi sighed, scratching his head in complementing.

"I wonder if okaa-san's doing well..."

_I'm still worried about her..._

"She should be," Mana chirped, looking cheerful as ever. "It IS okaa-chan, after all!!"

"Good thing Saiki-kun knows where she is," Nick sighed, shaking his head. "She's fine, isn't she?"

Saiki looked hesitant for a few moments and sighed.

"It's just normal to be worried, Nick-kun."

"I know that."

"I'm sorry..." he murmured, directing his gaze to the green witch. "I never meant to trouble Yuki-chan like this..."

"I'm not even sure what you mean by that." Nick laughed ruefully, shaking his head. "Believe me, I'd never seen Yuki-chan any happier before in my life..."

Saiki smiled at that but soon sighed.

"That's not what I mean, though..."

"Hm?"

"I-It's nothing, Nick-kun..."

_Of course... _the younger prince noted in his mind, groaning. _I could throw away the friendship we finally have by telling him... He'd understand, but... I can't betray my word to Yuki-chan..._

He sighed again, unsure of what to do.

_Yuki-chan... What can I do? I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have... And once you learn of what almost happened... Would you hate me?_

He frowned at the thought, his eyes glimmering.

_But no, you're too loving for your own good, Yuki-chan._

Saiki then perked up, noticing something.

"There it is."

"THAT'S the generator?" Nick wondered, surprised. "You'd think they have something nicer..."

"At least you won't feel as bad destroying it." Sakura laughed, swatting her father's arm.

"It's a weak generator," Saiki noted. "And it's therefore the easiest to destroy... It's nothing compared to the generator located in the center of the Abel's Ark..."

"What about that generator, Saiki-kun?" Nick inquired, a bit curious.

"That generator has a mind of its own... And it's resistant against light and dark magic... It takes incredibly strong twilight magic to just dent the darn thing."

Saiki sighed, shaking his head.

"So before then, Yuki-chan's the only one who can destroy it."

"Figures," Nick sighed, rolling his eyes. "At least now we have a reason for Yuki-chan to believe she's needed..."

_But there's one extra problem to that, Nick-kun..._ Saiki thought warily, smiling a bit. _It's about Yuki-chan herself..._

"Okay otou-chan, just thrust your sword through it and it'll be done for!!" Sakura exclaimed earning a sweatdrop to everyone present.

Nick just shrugged and plunged his sword through the generator and yanking it out, sighing.

"Whatever works."

The generator sparked for a moment and soon exploded, setting on fire.

The magic-users watched this with a bored expression and all sighed.

"Next?" Mana asked, looking up towards her dad.

Saiki focused his senses for a few seconds and opened his eyes.

"Looks like the next generator is on the other side of the Abel's Ark... That's going to take a while."

"Is that REALLY the closest generator?" Nick asked, annoyed. Saiki shrugged, sighing.

"It'll take us two hours to get there if we run... But pushing it too hard in a place like this isn't good at all..."

"We have all the time in the world~!" Mana chirped, giggling with glee. "We just need to be patient!!"

Nick and Sakura groaned at this.

"Wrong people to be saying that, Mana-chan." Momoko laughed. "Hey, maybe we'll find Yuki-chan on the way there?"

_We won't._ Saiki thought with a mental sigh. _If she is where I think she is... We won't be seeing her for a while now..._

"Hopefully." Her husband stated, folding his arms. "We never know."

"Otou-san..." Sakura began, already worried.

_Saiki-kun was right... I can't help worrying about Yuki-chan..._ Nick thought to himself, sighing. _When will she understand? I'll always love her..._

"Let's hurry. I don't want to waste any more time."

Momoko and Sakura perked up and that and nodded.

"Sure thing."

Mana and Satoshi blinked, but shrugged.

"Whatever, uncle."

Saiki just smiled with a shake of his head and nodded.

"Let's continue then..."

_He never changes, really._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yuki sighed as she staggered through the halls, trying to balance herself on the railings.

_M-My heart still hurts..._

She blinked, her expression remorseful as she sighed.

_What happened? I'm relieved that the feeling that I'm being ripped apart is gone, but..._

Yuki blinked again, her brown eyes unclear.

_But there's still that stabbing feeling... It feels so uncomfortable..._

She looked down, sighing.

_How are onii-chan and my Saiki-kun? Are they getting along? I sure hope so..._

The black witch soon shook her head as she rubbed the sides of her arms, continuing forward.

_I'm already so close... I can't falter now!!_

She shut her eyes, chewing her lip.

_My mission... My destiny... My promise... It'll be fulfilled soon..._

She quickly opened her eyes, turning confident.

_It will, Saiki-kun, it will..._

Her lips twitched as they pointed into a frown.

_That's right..._

"Hurry, hurry..." she began, breaking into a sprint. "I'm already so close!!"

_Wait for me, okay?_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"How much further, otou-san?"

"Only about another hour..."

"So we're already halfway to the next generator? AWESOME!!!! That was a lot faster than I thought it would be!!"

"You and your ever-eternal optimism, huh, Sakura-chan?"

"Hey, Mana-chan, in dark times, you need to stay bright and shiny!!"

Nick took a good look around the mysterious area. Abel's Ark definitely had that "dark-and-creepy invitation" thing going for it.

"Satoshi-kun, I'm getting this feeling that you don't really like Abel's Ark that much," Nick wondered. "Any particular reason?"

"It's a long story..." Satoshi responded. "Let's just say that I had a bad experience with it once and leave it at that."

"That generator's here somewhere..." Sakura asked. "SO WHERE IS IT?!"

"Patience, Sakura-chan," Mana giggled, imitating her father.

Sakura could only sweatdrop at that.

As the party continued through the Earth Sphere, Mana couldn't help but look back at Satoshi every now and then.

_Poor onii-chan... I can understand why he'd want to forget what happened here on Abel's Ark..._ Mana thought. _That kind of experience would be enough to traumatize anybody..._

"Everything okay, onii-chan?" Mana asked, letting her hand rest on Satoshi's shoulder.

"I... I can't tell them..." Satoshi responded. "I can't tell our past selves what happened on Abel's Ark... Otou-san would be devastated..."

"That's why we're here, Satoshi-kun," Mana stated. "We're here to stop this monstrosity from wreaking any more havoc on our world. So cheer up, okay? It makes me sad to see anything BUT a smile on my cute onii-chan's face!!"

Satoshi couldn't help but blush at that. "You're flattering me, Mana-chan..."

"I'm just telling the truth," Mana giggled, leaning forward and pecking Satoshi on the cheek. "We'll stop Abel's Ark. I promise."

Satoshi smiled. "Thanks, Mana-chan."

Before long, the party had arrived at the Earth Sphere's generator.

"There's another one," Sakura noted.

"Nice eyes, Sherlock," Mana teased.

"Leave this one to me," Nick stated, drawing Hanyou Hikari and rushing at the generator...

...only for something to stop him in mid-rush by a powerful slash attack.

Momoko looked pretty freaked out at who she saw floating there.

Recovering from his little wipe-out, Nick looked up and promptly saw the reason why Momoko looked so freaked out.

His father was floating there, garbed in his Delegates of Darkness uniform.

"What... what the...?!" Sakura exclaimed. "Isn't he supposed to be dead?!"

Suddenly, Momoko noticed something; Nick actually looked pretty scared.

But she knew why. That fateful night four years ago was still imprinted in Nick's mind...

(flashback, Nick's P.O.V.)

"_Not bad, kids," Jeff responded. "But I am through playing around here. It's time I put an end to this nonsense."_

_With that, Jeff raised his staff into the air and began chanting one more time. This created an energy field that struck both of us and drained our energy, forcing us to revert to our normal forms._

"_That was too easy. Now for what I came for," Jeff sneered, holding out his hand. This simple motion caused Yuki to jerk forwards, screaming in agony as a glowing silver ball of light was extracted from her._

_This, naturally, pissed me off so badly. "What did you do to her?!" I demanded._

"_The power of twilight is mine," Jeff growled._

_Yuki tried using her wand, which had somehow reverted out of its Shutsuga Tobiume form, but was shocked to discover that her poron had lost its glow._

"_What happened?!" Yuki wondered._

"_I disabled your magical abilities when I extracted your twilight energy," Jeff explained. "So you can't be a nuisance to my plans anymore. Now goodbye, twilight witch!!"_

_Faster than I could react, Jeff fired a pulse wave that struck Yuki..._

_...and sent her careening off of the building._

_I could hear her screaming, but could do naught but stand there, too stunned to move._

_When I heard an impact down on the ground level, I finally found my voice._

"YUKI-CHAN!!!"

(end flashback)

Just then, Momoko noticed something even weirder.

"Say, Nick? Call me crazy, but I'm not sensing any life force in him at all..." Momoko noted.

"So does that mean he's a ghost?" Mana wondered.

"No... I'm not sensing any spiritual energy in him either..." Momoko explained. "That is so weird..."

"Wait a minute. What in the world could have no life force AND no spiritual power at the same time?" Satoshi asked, a little confused.

"Memory," Nick responded, slightly confusing the others.

"You guys notice how he's all transparent and everything, the way he flutters?" Nick explained. "This vision of my father is nothing but a memory. And I've got a feeling that I've gotta defeat this memory in order to get to the generator. Right?"

The memory just nodded, gripping his battle staff.

"All right, then," Nick responded, brandishing Hanyou Hikari. "Let's do this."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Be careful, Nick..." Momoko stated softly, clasping her hands in worry.

_I know this is just a memory... And if he did it once... He can surely do it again..._

"GO FOR IT, OTOU-SAN!!" Sakura exclaimed, fully confident. "You can DO IT!!"

"Do your best, okay?!" Mana exclaimed as well before she perked up, noticing the horrified expression on her brother.

"S-Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi snapped out of it, his eyes wide as he began, shivering, frowning deeply.

"S-Sorry about that, Mana-chan... Just a bit of a nightmare is all..."

"While you're away, nii-chan?" his sister asked warily before sighing.

_Oh, onii-chan..._

"I-I guess it sounds a little silly, huh...?"

"You could say that..."

Mana forced a smile, patting her brother's shoulder.

"But it'll be fine. I know it will."

Satoshi had to smile at that.

_Mana-chan..._

"Thanks, sis."

Mana winked, a heart appearing.

"Anything for my adorable older brother!!"

_He he~!_

Satoshi sweatdropped at that, laughing a bit.

_This girl..._

"M-Mana-chan..."

_Oh well, guess some things never change._

Saiki perked up at that, curious.

_Those two... Something's wrong... I know there is._

He frowned.

_But, as usual..._

The younger prince soon shook his head, focusing his attention back on Nick.

_I'm still worried, but..._

Nick took a deep breath as he looked back at the memory, shuddering a bit.

_Last time I won... It was because I flew into a rage after what happened to Yuki-chan..._

His grip tightened when his sister's smile flashed in his mind.

"_Don't worry, you'll see me for sure!!"_

_Now, if I don't defeat him... I may never see her... So I can't hold back now!! Yuki-chan... Just wait..._

"_See you... Onii-chan!!"_

_I can't give in, not now!!_

Nick bit his lip as he tensed up, nearly drawing blood.

_Yuki-chan..._

"Alright, let's get this over with."

_I'm coming._

The memory nodded and the two collided swords, surprising the others.

"That's strong...for a memory." Momoko admitted. "But Nick can do it, I know he can... He's done it once."

_Nick..._

"There's one problem with that, Momoko-chan," Saiki quipped, making Satoshi and Mana both perk up. "The same thing never happens twice."

"What's that mean, otou-san?" Satoshi asked, his voice shaking.

_C-Could he possibly be referring to...?!_

"It's just the way things are, Satoshi-kun,"

Saiki sighed, shaking his head.

_It's a shame, but..._

"It's something that can't be helped."

Satoshi's eyes widened in horror.

_Dad..._

"Otou-chan..." Mana began, her voice uncertain. "I really don't understand."

"It took me a while to understand it myself," Saiki admitted, a smile twisting at his lips. "Still..."

"I'm sorry, dad."

"Eh?"

Saiki perked up as he stared at Satoshi in confusion, not quite understanding.

_H-Huh?_

"What's wrong, Satoshi-kun?"

"It's..." he hesitated, his brown eyes glimmering. "It's hard to explain..."

"Onii-chan..." Mana started, lightly taking his shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry," her brother continued, his voice still shaking. "I don't want you to be upset..."

"Satoshi-kun, not too long ago, I nearly killed and slaughtered Nick-kun, I don't think anything you could have done could be worse than that..."

Saiki laughed, though he flinched at the memory.

"Breaking the one promise onii-chan ever made me make... That alone makes me hate how weak I can be..."

_No matter how many times I apologize... It won't atone for my crimes... I'm sorry, but it's not enough even if you just forgive me._

His smile vanished, a sigh escaping his lips.

_Nothing will ever be enough._

Satoshi said nothing, but sighed himself.

_I'd hate to prove you wrong, Saiki._

He turned back to the battle at hand, Mana watching him with the utmost concern.

_Satoshi...nii-chan..._

She frowned, shaking her head.

_I guess daddy's right... Such things can't really be helped...can they?_

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

The memory blocked the attack, earning Nick to growl.

_Of course... This will be even harder than last time we fought..._

His grip tightened, and he gulped.

_I don't know what my strategy is..._

He made a "huh" sound and shook his head.

_But I have to win._

Nick perked up, confidence shining in his eyes.

_No matter what the cost!!_

Saiki's own fists clenched as his eyes narrowed.

_It's about to start soon. We best get ready._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Yuki suddenly perked up.

_Wait. What's that weird feeling?_

Yuki took a good look around the Wind Sphere, but saw nothing.

"That was odd," Yuki noted. "But no time for that right now. I've got a promise to keep."

And with that, Yuki rushed off again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick took a good look at the memory that stood before him.

_There's no way I'm going to lose it. This memory might be my father, but I'm not going to hold back!!_

The memory raised its staff, chanting in a foreign language that Nick didn't recognize.

All of a sudden, a ruby-red energy surrounded the memory, forcing Nick back a couple feet.

"Wait, I remember this... he was using the power of Dark Gaia..."

Nick still shuddered at that name. _I'm just glad that beast is gone for good..._

Before Nick could ruminate any further on this, a massive red energy ripple shot from the memory's staff and slammed Nick into a nearby wall.

"Okay, THAT didn't work," Nick stated. "I've gotta think of SOMETHING... no chance in HELL am I losing to a memory!!"

Picking himself up, Nick charged forward with renewed determination, meeting blades with the memory on each pass.

"They're evenly matched," Saiki noted.

"Is otou-san gonna win?" Sakura asked. "Even though that thing's just a memory, it's still insanely powerful..."

"If anyone can do it, Nick-kun can do it," Saiki responded.

A massive explosion snapped everyone's attention back to the battle at hand.

Nick leaped into the air, bringing Hanyou Hikari down hard. The memory responded to this attack by swinging its staff and easily countering Nick's attack.

Not to be discouraged, Nick lashed out with a powerful spinning attack that was quickly blocked and countered, tossing Nick back a couple feet.

"Okay, so that's not working either..." Nick growled.

"Wait a minute..." Sakura wondered. "I knew that ojii-san was gone, but I never knew he was part of the Delegates of Darkness..."

"Yeah, Nick and Yuki-chan were pretty shocked when they found out..." Momoko responded.

(flashback, Nick's P.O.V.)

_Just as I shifted into battle stance, I noticed the lost look in Yuki's eyes. I turned back to the shadowy figure..._

_...and there was that feeling of dread I'd felt earlier. That odd feeling..._

_No._

"_Wait just one damn minute," I interjected. "You couldn't be... there's no way you can POSSIBLY be...?!"_

"_Oh, can't I?" the figure stated as he emerged from the shadows, revealing the one person I'd always suspected, yet hoped like hell that it really wasn't._

"_DAD?!"  
_

_Indeed, Jeff Kelly, our father, was floating there in that shadowy doorway._

"_Wait..." I stuttered, still trying to convince myself that this was just an illusion. "There's no way YOU can be behind this, otou-san!!!"_

"_Didn't I just reveal myself to you, brat?" Jeff responded, not at all fazed by my worried look. "You can't deny the truth."_

"_So YOU'VE been screwing up our lives this whole freaking time?!" I shouted, my patience having officially run dry._

"_I wouldn't exactly say that," Jeff responded._

_That caught my attention. "And just what do you mean by THAT?!"_

"_The answer is simple, really," Jeff explained. "I'm merely taking the form of your father. As for him, I killed him many years ago."_

"_WHAT?!!" Yuki exclaimed. "WHY'D YOU DO THAT?!!"_

"_Yeah, explain that!!" I shot back. "My family's never done ANYTHING to you freaks!!"_

_"Your answer is the girl next to you," Jeff noted, pointing to my sister. "We of the Delegates of Darkness have been searching for the mysterious power of twilight for decades, but have, until now, been unsuccessful in locating someone with such a power. When this girl was born, I knew she would be the one with the power we sought."_

(end flashback)

"I never would have thought..." Momoko ruminated.

Just then, Nick hopped back to the group, just barely avoiding a fierce attack from the memory.

"Why is this not working?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Maybe we should try roughing him up a bit," Saiki stated.

Nick grinned at that. "You wanna help me with that, Saiki-kun?"

The night elemental nodded. "I'd be delighted."

With that, Nick joined hands with Saiki, both of them beginning to glow with a powerful purple aura.

"_Light of the moon..."_ Nick chanted.

"_Element of the darkness..."_ Saiki continued.

The memory charged forward just as a massive well of dark energy surrounded Nick and Saiki.

_"With the powers of light and darkness together, we won't let you bind the world in chains of eternal suffering!!"_

The well of dark energy surrounding Nick and Saiki shrunk into a sphere that floated just above them. Concentrating on the charging memory, Nick and Saiki thrust their hands towards the memory, their auras pulsing like never before.

_"Double Ojamajo Shadowed Night!!!"_

The sphere above them erupted into a massive wave of dark energy that struck the memory head-on and caused some serious damage.

Not wasting any more time, Nick rushed forward, Hanyou Hikari brandished.

"All right, you are DONE!!!" Nick exclaimed, slashing through the memory with Hanyou Hikari.

And that was the end of it.

"Good job, Nick-kun," Saiki stated.

"As always," Nick teased. "But first..."

Raising his weapon again, Nick charged at the generator and delivered a powerful slash...

...yet it still stood.

"All right, so I see you're gonna be stubborn..." Nick groaned, leaping into the air and jamming Hanyou Hikari straight into the generator.

This was enough to destroy the generator. Nick sheathed Hanyou Hikari, proud of himself.

"Two down already... we're making some serious progress..." Nick stated.

_But it's nowhere NEAR over yet. We still have two more generators, and I'm willing to bet there's going to be more memories guarding them... We'd better stay on our guard. And, Yuki-chan?_

Nick looked up towards the top of the Earth Sphere.

_I... I love you. Please wait for me. I'll be there._


	2. Act 2: Nightmare as a Child

Act 2: Nightmare as a Child

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"So we're halfway done, that's great, isn't it, otou-san?"

"I'll say, Sakura-chan."

Sakura beamed as she looked ahead, sighing.

"I really want to find auntie soon..."

Momoko just smiled as she patted Sakura's shoulder, laughing.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, I'm sure Yuki-chan will be doing just fine..."

Sakura had to smile at that.

"Okaa-san..."

"So, Saiki-kun, how long until we reach the next generator?"

"Patience, Nick-kun,"

Nick grimaced at that.

"Friends or not, Saiki-kun, I still hate it when you say that."

Saiki grinned at that.

_Sheesh..._

"It'll take us a while... But not so unbearably long that you'll go insane, I assure you."

At that, the green witch raised an eyebrow.

_What's THAT supposed to mean?_

"And Yuki-chan?"

"She's fine." Saiki's lips became a tight line for some reason. "No worries."

"Whenever Yuki-chan says that, I worry the most." Nick stated matter-of-factly before pausing at his hesitant expression.

"Let me guess, whatever you're hiding from me... Yuki-chan made you _promise_ not to tell me, right?"

This surprised him.

"You knew?"

"You may be good at controlling your temper and patience," Nick grinned widely. "But when it comes to my sister, you're always noticeably fidgety. And I know how she can be when it comes to you, Saiki-kun..."

Saiki raised an eyebrow himself, sweatdropping a bit.

"I never realized I was that obvious... My apologies."

"No need to get sarcastic, Saiki-kun." Nick huffed, a little irritated at that. "Sheesh..."

The younger prince sighed.

"Yes, yes, sorry."

He paused a bit before continuing.

"You understand why I can't say anything, right? It's a little hard, but it is for Yuki-chan, and she's..."

"...all you really have." Nick finished for him, his voice soft and apologetic. "I understand that. But if she's ever in danger..."

"I won't hesitate for a second's notice... But otherwise..."

"At least she's okay," the green witch muttered to himself, a little relieved. "Where is she, anyway?"

One look at Saiki's expression and he understood.

"Can't tell me that either, huh?"

"Keeping a promise is vital. You should know that, Nick-kun."

"Yeah, I know,"

Nick sighed heavily, looking down.

_But it just makes me wonder what Yuki-chan's true motives are... And the way Saiki-kun's acting, he obviously doesn't agree with those motives... And it's just more puzzling..._

Saiki looked at his pondering expression in curiosity before smiling.

_I guess Yuki-chan does mean a lot to him..._

He soon frowned as he sighed.

_The fight we had before... I still can't get it out of my mind... Nii-chan..._

His frown deepened.

_I have to keep my promise to Yuki-chan... After breaking the one I made to onii-chan... I just can't..._

Yuki's smile flashed in his mind.

_But what can I do? Even now I can't say no to her..._

"_Saiki-kun, promise me! Don't tell Nick-kun anything... Even if you really, really want to... You can't, okay? You just can't... Please understand..."_

_I really am weak..._

"_It's something I want to share...just with you. Okay?"_

He shook his head, trying to clear the memory.

_Still, Yuki-chan... I don't want that..._

"Saiki-kun?"

Saiki's eyes widened as he quickly stared at Nick's confused expression.

"N-No... It's nothing."

He quickly smiled.

"No business of yours, anyway."

"Give me a break," Nick huffed, sighing a bit himself. "We're not being very good friends..."

"Old habits die hard."

"True..."

"Satoshi-kun, will you really be alright?" Mana asked her brother, still a bit worried.

Satoshi quickly nodded.

"I-I'll be fine, Mana-chan..."

"That's a lie and you know it, onii-chan."

"M-Mana-chan..."

Mana frowned, growling a bit.

"If you're really troubled... Say so! I know you're upset, but..."

"Just not too long ago, otou-san challenged me..."

"Huh?"

"He told me 'I doubt you've done anything worse than me trying to kill Yuki-chan's older brother'... That...surprised me." Satoshi blushed lightly, gulping. "I-If only he knew..."

"I don't understand why you're still wrapped up in all that... How can anyone blame you...? It's not really your fault..."

Mana shrugged, looking forward.

"Anger and fear are powerful emotions... They can make you lose your sense of reason..."

"That may be true, Mana-chan, but still..."

"I honestly don't think otou-chan will blame you for anything, Satoshi-kun."

"It's not the blame that I'm worried about..."

"Eh? Then what is it?"

Satoshi paused, earnestly thinking about if before he answered.

"I don't want him to have another thing to be disappointed about... Otou-san carries a lot of weight on his shoulders... In case you haven't noticed..."

"I have noticed, onii-chan," Mana responded in a stiff voice, clearly angered for being questioned about knowing her father like that. "I love otou-chan very much... I love okaa-chan, too... I KNOW they make mistakes... And I forgive them. I'll always forgive them."

_No matter what..._

"Oh, Mana-chan..." Satoshi smiled as he shook his head.

"If only it were that easy..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"How much further is it?"

Yuki looked around as she sighed, puffing her cheeks a bit.

_I swear... This is all just... Oh whatever..._

She continued forward, still looking around for the source of what she was looking for.

_I have to find it... Soon, too..._

Yuki bit her lip as she felt a flashback.

"_Are you serious, Yuki-chan?"_

_The black witch desperately shook her head, her hands clasped in pleading._

"_It's something I want to share...just with you. Okay? Saiki-kun?"_

_Saiki grimaced, showing obvious discomfort._

"_Still... Isn't that a bit selfish, Yuki-chan?"_

"_It's not selfish if it's done for someone else!!" she shot back, almost begging. "Please, Saiki-kun... I love you... so let me do this... I love you so much..."_

"_You know how hard it is to resist a face like that, Yuki-chan," he sighed, shaking his head. "It's almost unbearable..."_

"_Then don't." she responded, her brown eyes glimmering as she took his hand in her own. "A-As soon as we get married, it'll be okay... It'll be okay..."_

"_Still..."_

_Yuki glared at him, her lips twitching._

"_Shidoosha Saiki-kun, I SWEAR... You're going to be MINE and that is that."_

"_And what about Nick-kun?" he asked with a slight smirk, playing on the one thing he knew Yuki wasn't as indifferent on._

"_As soon as he and Momo-chan are married it won't matter anymore..."_

_She pressed her lips to his for a few seconds before separating, her eyes staring hopelessly into his._

"_I'll be all yours, too."_

Yuki snapped up, sighing.

_That's right... I can't give up now!!_

She quickly rushed forward.

_I just hope I can get there first!!_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"It should be close by..." Yuki stated. "I'm so close to my goal!!"

However, before Yuki could run any further, something nearby created a bright flash that stunned her for a few seconds.

"What the hell?!" Yuki exclaimed, taking a look at the massive demon that had just appeared in front of her and shivering as its name popped into her head.

"Nahatomb..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"How much FARTHER?!!" Sakura exclaimed, causing both Mana and Satoshi to sweatdrop.

"Shouldn't be too much longer..." Saiki stated. "Probably another twenty minutes to the Wind Sphere's generator at our current pace..."

Mana looked back at Satoshi. _It's still hurting onii-chan, isn't it? I can't tell the others. I don't want to jeopardize our mission..._

"Everything okay, onii-chan?" Mana asked, patting Satoshi's shoulders.

"I'm still worried, Mana-chan," Satoshi answered. "I don't want them to find out what happened. It'll devastate otou-san..."

Mana just smiled. "Don't worry, onii-chan. Otou-chan will be just fine. We'll catch whoever released this monstrosity and kick their butt or butts into submission. Okay?"

Satoshi couldn't help but smile. It was impossible not to smile when Mana was comforting him.

"HEY, GUYS!!!!"

Everyone spun around at that voice. Nick tightly gripped Hanyou Hikari just in case, though that voice was starting to sound pretty familiar.

As Nick got a good look at who the voice had come from, he gasped in shock, now realizing why that voice was so familiar.

Spiky purple hair, cat-like golden eyes, a staff clutched in her hands... there was no mistaking her now.

"SENNA-CHAN!!!" Momoko exclaimed, rushing up to hug her old friend.

"Good to see you, too, Momo-chan," Senna giggled, returning the hug.

"Wow," Saiki stated. "Quite a surprise seeing you here, Senna-chan."

"Good to be back, everybody!!" Senna exclaimed. "I saw this massive ship thingy appear not too long ago, and I just knew it was time to play hero again!! What's our mission objective?"

"Basically, we're destroying the generators that give Abel's Ark it's power," Satoshi explained. "I don't want Abel's Ark in this world any longer."

"Righto, then!!" Senna stated, happily twirling her staff in her right hand before thrusting it in front of her.

"_Call forth the twilight!! Mirokumaru!!"_

A bright flash covered the area, and when it cleared, Senna's weapon had transformed into a Shaolin staff with a spearhead on the tip, connected to her hand by a bracelet ring.

"Time to crash this party," Senna proclaimed.

"Full of spunk as always," Mana giggled.

"You've gotta be in this world," Senna stated.

"Speaking of which, how's Yamato-kun doing?" Saiki asked, referring to Senna's boyfriend.

"Okay, let's put this lightly... HE PROPOSED TO ME!!!!" Senna exclaimed. "Right after I left you guys last year!!"

"Oh, so you got married before Nick and I did?" Momoko stated. "That's not fair, Senna-chan!!"

"Okay, everybody, I think we should get back to the business at hand here," Satoshi responded. "The generator's close... I can feel it..."

Nick was about to make a heroic proclamation, when all of a sudden, something shot into his head.

He'd know this feeling anywhere. His sister was in trouble.

"Guys, you go on ahead," Nick stated. "Yuki-chan's in trouble."

And with that, Nick rushed off.

"Okay, that was freaky... I couldn't even sense Yuki-chan since she turned off her aura, but Nick-kun knew where she is?"

"Brother's instinct," Momoko quipped. "Nick's had it since day one."

"Wait, where IS Yuki-chan?" Senna asked. "Are she and Saiki-kun married yet?"

"Almost," Saiki responded. "Once we're done here, I promised we'd get married. Problem is, Yuki-chan ran off from Nick-kun's wedding, and once Abel's Ark appeared, everything pretty much went to hell."

"Same old, same old, huh?" Senna giggled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yuki backed up a few steps as Nahatomb eyed her curiously. There was no mistaking what Nahatomb's thunderous growls meant.

_Damn it!! Just when I was so close!!_ Yuki thought. _How the hell do I get out of this one? I just wish Nick-kun was here to protect me... though he probably doesn't need me anymore..._

However, just as Nahatomb was lining up to take a swipe at Yuki...

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

A massive beam of emerald energy thundered from seemingly out of nowhere, knocking Nahatomb back a couple feet.

Needless to say, Yuki was surprised to see Nick arrive on the scene.

"Well, well," Nick stated. "I thought I'd find you here, Nahatomb. I saw what you were trying to do to my sister."

Nick quickly shifted into battle stance.

"I'm never going to forgive you for that."

Yuki was quite surprised.

_He... he really does care..._ Yuki thought.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

_But that's not the point right now!!_

"NICK-KUN!! What are you DOING here?!" she screamed, demanding an answer.

Her brother stared at her, a little annoyed.

"Shouldn't I be asking the same question, Yuki-chan?"

"I asked first!!" Yuki shot back, annoyed. "You can't do this!!"

"Do what? Save you?" Nick almost laughed, waving his hand. "Sorry Yuki-chan, but I'm keeping my promise."

"That's not what I...mean..." the black witch frowned, her eyes glimmering. "Stupid..."

_He doesn't understand... And if I explain it to him..._

"Just sit still, onee-chan," Nick stated with a smile as he turned to face Nahatomb. "Then, you can explain."

"I-I can't..." she whispered soft enough so that he couldn't hear her. "I can't do that..."

_Onii-chan... Stupid..._

"Sheesh..." Yuki muttered, fiddling with her fingers. "Still as impatient as ever..."

_Bad timing, too._

"Alright, Nahatomb..." Nick began, holding out his weapon. "Let's dance."

Yuki's eyes glimmered as she looked down.

_Nii-san..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"So... What are we in the middle of doing?" Senna asked with a beam, giggling.

"Right now... I'm worried about okaa-chan." Mana stated as they continued forward, intent on catching up to Nick.

"Something's wrong with her as well... There's no mistaking it..." Saiki shook his head, sighing. "This is what happens when you let her have her way..."

"Yuki-chan's always been a handful," Satoshi admitted, laughing a bit. "That's why everyone loves her."

"Otou-san's a handful, too..." Sakura agreed, giggling. "But I love him anyway."

"Same here." Momoko laughed.

"No one ever changes, huh..." Senna started before noticing something. "Say Mana-chan, Satoshi-kun, and Sakura-chan... Isn't this too early?"

"Where there's smoke, there's fire..." Satoshi stated in a matter-of-fact voice, confusing Senna.

"Um... So that means..."

"We knew our parents needed our help, and here we are." Mana explained while her brother nodded.

"Yes, that's right..."

"Oh..."

Senna smiled brightly at that.

"Well, I'm glad you're here then!!"

"Aren't we all?" Sakura laughed. "Right, Mana-chan?"

"Definitely! Isn't that right, onii-chan?"

"S-Sure thing, Mana-chan..."

Mana just giggled.

"Plus, I just HAD to see otou-chan and okaa-chan one more time as kids!! They're so cute!"

Saiki had to blush at that.

_She may take after Yuki-chan after all..._

"I see," Senna responded before looking ahead. "Anyway, we need to hurry! One can only go without seeing Yuki-chan's super cuteness for so long!!"

Everyone else just sweatdropped at that.

"S-Senna-chan..."

Saiki soon perked up.

_But it's true... I'm still worried about Yuki-chan..._

He bit his lip, wincing a bit.

_If anything happens to her now, it's my fault._

The wizard made a "huh" sound, looking up ahead with unclear eyes.

_That's what they don't know._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yuki backed up against the wall as her brother faced off against Nahatomb, still debating over what to do.

_I suppose I could just rush off now while he's distracted... But..._

Sadness and worry flickered in her eyes.

_What if he gets hurt? I want to help if he does... He's still my onii-chan... But..._

She shut her eyes tightly, unsure of what to do next.

_Saiki-kun... Now what?_

Yuki perked up as the two clashed, sending shivers throughout her body.

_I want to leave... But I don't want to leave... Why am I contradicting myself all of a sudden?!_

She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts.

_What can I do? Onii-chan..._

Yuki felt something try to break inside of her, but quickly covered her chest.

_N-No... Not now..._

Her eyes fluttered, trying to stay open.

_Saiki-kun... I need him right now... I need him so badly... I-It's like a drug..._

Nick perked up, looking towards his sister in confusion.

"Yuki-chan?"

_Is something wrong with her?_

"N-No, it's nothing..." she muttered, sweating a bit. "Nothing you can help with me anyway, Nick-kun..."

Nick's eyes widened at that.

_Huh?_

Yuki smiled sadly, still a bit exasperated.

"Please, you have your own sweetheart to tend to."

Her brother just stood there, surprised that she'd say such a thing.

"But, Yuki-chan..."

"It can't be helped," she murmured, looking down with sadness in her eyes. "It's already determined..."

"That sounds like something Saiki-kun would..." he cut himself on that, shaking his head.

_There's definitely something wrong..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Huh?"

Saiki stopped, blinking his eyes in confusion.

_For some reason... There's that feeling again... Yuki-chan..._

"Otou-chan?" Mana wondered, hopping beside him. "Something wrong?"

"I'm not...sure..."

He perked up, his eyes wide as he shook his head.

"No, it's nothing, Mana-chan."

Mana blinked, and cocked her head to the side.

"If you say so, daddy."

Saiki forced a smile, laughing a bit.

"Y-Yeah..."

_If this feeling is what I think it is..._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

A loud roar from Nahatomb snapped Nick and Yuki's attention back to the task at hand.

"Don't give me that," Nick taunted. "There's no WAY I'm letting you harm my sister!!"

Nahatomb just roared again, attempting to strike Nick with one of its long lanky arms. Nick easily countered the attack, leaping into the air and striking back at Nahatomb, forcing the dream demon back a few feet.

"By the way, Nick-kun, how do you know this thing?" Yuki asked, a little curious.

"Remember that time when it was REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY late at night and I got sucked into a dream world?" Nick explained. "I had to fight this thing to get back out."

"Oh, yeah..." Yuki responded. "I still can't forget how worried I was..."

Nahatomb roared again, apparently not too happy at being ignored.

"Oh, shut up, puffy," Nick groaned, firing off a quick Ojamajo Arrow of Light to get some breathing room.

"You wanna help me out here, Yuki-chan?" Nick asked.

_I... I have a promise to keep..._ Yuki thought. _But I'm not going to turn down my onii-chan. No way in hell._

Yuki nodded, smiling. "Let's kick his butt."

And with this, the two siblings began circling Nahatomb, trying to find a weak spot on the massive monster.

"Do you remember any weak spots from the last time you fought this creepo?" Yuki asked.

"If I remember correctly, Nahatomb's weak point should be somewhere on its back," Nick stated. "Now we just gotta get back there before Nahatomb notices us."

"Wait a minute, Nick-kun!! I just got an idea!!"

"I'm all ears, Yuki-chan."

After Yuki relayed her idea, she ferried Nick into the air, then started taunting Nahatomb.

This easily angered the dream demon, who attempted multiple strikes at Yuki, the black witch easily dodging them all.

What Nahatomb didn't realize was that Yuki had tossed Nick to the other side of the arena, where the weak point on Nahatomb's back was easily exposed.

"Got you now, nightmare freak!!!" Nick exclaimed, holding his hands out.

"_The force of a boy's determination, take this!! Ojamajo Sparkle Spiral!!"_

A spiraling mass of emerald energy shot from Nick's outstretched hands and drilled at Nahatomb's weak spot, forcing the creature to back away.

"Take THAT, ugly!!" Nick exclaimed.

Almost without warning, Nahatomb's long tongue ensnared Nick.

Realizing what was about to happen, Yuki rushed forward and drove her fist rather forcefully into Nahatomb's stomach. This action forced the demon to release Nick.

"Cheap shot, buddy!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing around Nahatomb while Nick distracted it. Upon reaching the other side of Nahatomb, Yuki took careful aim at the weak spot.

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

Flurries of twilight energy beams thundered from Yuki's palms and hammered at Nahatomb's weak point, doing quite a bit of damage and easily stunning the monster.

"Onii-chan!! He's all yours!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Got it!!" Nick responded, leaping into the air, Hanyou Hikari held proudly above his head.

Before Nahatomb could recover, Nick struck with Hanyou Hikari, basically splitting Nahatomb in half.

Before long, what remained of Nahatomb had evaporated.

"Check and mate, Nahatomb," Nick taunted, sheathing Hanyou Hikari.

It was just then that he noticed that his sister was trying to rush off.

"Yuki-chan, WAIT!!!" Nick exclaimed.

_I've already lost Yuki-chan enough times,_ Nick thought. _It's NOT going to happen again!!_

Rushing forward faster than he thought his feet possible, Nick rushed over to Yuki and stopped her before she could disappear.

"What's the matter, Yuki-chan?" Nick asked.

"You wouldn't understand..." Yuki stated.

"I would if you told me..." Nick responded.

"What does it even matter to you, Nick-kun?! You don't even need me anymore now that you've got Momo-chan!!" Yuki exclaimed. "What do I even matter to you?"

Needless to say, Nick was shocked by this.

"Yuki-chan, listen to yourself!! When would I EVER say something like that?"

"You said it the instant you and Momo-chan got married!!!"

Yuki was about to streak off, the tears already flowing, when Nick spun her around again, nearly in tears himself.

"Yuki-chan, please listen to me. You remember what I said to you before I went to the chapel? I said that I would ALWAYS love you and want to protect you, no matter what happened or what routes our lives would take us. I know Momo-chan is the one I love, but so are you. You're precious to me, and that's really all I have to say. You DO matter to me, Yuki-chan. You really do."

And with those words, Yuki just couldn't hold it in anymore, bursting into tears and rushing into Nick's embrace.

"I... I'm sorry, Nick-kun... I'm so, SO sorry..."

"It's okay, Yuki-chan. It's okay..."

Neither sibling knew how long they stayed like that, just cuddled in each other's warm embrace.

"Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I... I love you."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan."

Yuki looked up at the makeshift sky the Wind Sphere had created. "I just... I made myself a promise... to Saiki-kun..."

"We can still keep that promise together," Nick stated. "Okay?"

"Okay," Yuki responded. "I'm sorry I worried you, Nick-kun..."

"Hey, we wouldn't want things to get TOO boring now, would we?" Nick teased. Yuki couldn't help but giggle at that.

"Let's get back to the others, Yuki-chan. I promise that I'll help you fulfill _your_ promise, okay?"

Yuki nodded, keeping her brother close by as the two siblings rushed off to reunite with their friends.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Hey!! Everyone!! We're back!!"

"Nick!!" Momoko exclaimed in relief as the two siblings ran up, hand in hand. "And you got Yuki-chan, that's great!!"

Yuki blushed at that, and perked up.

"Mana-chan...? Satoshi-kun...?"

Her future kids nodded, smiling brightly.

"It's really us, Yuki-chan."

Bet you're surprised, huh okaa-chan?"

Yuki soon smiled herself.

"A... A little..."

"They're not the only ones here, Yuki-chaaa~n!!"

"Huh?"

The black witch's eyes widened just in time for Senna to knock her over in a bone-crushing embrace, squealing.

"S-SENNA-CHAN?!"

"You've gotten even CUTER, Yuki-chan!!" Senna squealed, tightening her grip on Yuki. "So, so, so, SO CUTE!!"

Yuki blushed heavily and blinked.

"Uh... Long time, no see."

_She hasn't changed a bit..._

"Much too long!!" she exclaimed, pulling back to nuzzle against her cheek. "So soft and cuddly~! Why hasn't Saiki-kun lost his control with you yet?"

"Even _I_ wonder that..." Saiki laughed, making Yuki's eyes jolt wide.

_Sai...Sai...Saiki-kun..._

She pushed Senna away to eagerly look at her fiancé as he smiled, waving his hand.

"Hey there, Yuki-chan."

Yuki's eyes filled with tears as she rushed into his arms, burying her face in his warm chest.

"Saiki-kun... I was so worried about you..."

Saiki sighed, patting the top of her head.

"I should be saying the same thing, Yuki-chan..."

"T-That feeling earlier!!" she gasped, looking up at him with a desperate blush. "What was it?"

Her boyfriend looked a little confused at that.

"What was what?"

"It was some time ago... My heart was pounding and it felt like I was tearing into two..."

Yuki's blush deepened as she looked down, her voice shaking.

"I-I was so scared... It was like...you died..."

Satoshi and Mana flinched at that, and Saiki's eyes widened in realization.

_She means..._

The moment he lost his control flashed in his mind.

_From THAT time?!_

"I-It's okay..." he whispered, his own voice trembling as he ran his hand through her hair, sighing. "It won't happen again... It won't..."

Yuki smiled, snuggling into his embrace.

"Good..."

Saiki smiled sadly, letting out another sigh.

_So that was her voice earlier... We are connected like that anyway..._

"By the way..." he stated, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Have you given up?"

Yuki's eyes jolted wide in shock as she pushed him away, looking up with confidence shining in her eyes.

"I won't ever give up," she stated firmly, her eyes locking onto his.

Saiki made a "huh" sound, huffing.

"I was afraid of that, Yuki-chan."

Senna blinked in confusion.

"Okay... Now I'm lost..."

"Senna-chan..." Sakura began, laughing a bit.

Nick blinked, tensing up a bit.

_For some reason... I feel uneasy about this..._

"Yuki-chan, if you're going to keep that pointless promise..."

"It's not POINTLESS, Saiki-kun!!"

"But, there's no real need to..."

"I don't know WHY I came back, I just did!!" Yuki growled, her fingers lacing into Saiki's shirt collar, pulling his face to hers, their lips an inch away.

"Understand," she snarled, her breath hot on his face. "I'm doing this for US, not for me or you... For _us_."

"You can't stay a selfish princess forever, Yuki-chan _dearest_." Saiki responded stiffly, wincing from how close they were.

Yuki made a "huh" sound as she inched closer to his lips, her own puckering.

"Is that _so_...?"

Saiki flinched at that, shivering a bit.

"I-I don't really understand why it's so important to you..."

Yuki parted her lips as she backed away, sighing.

"Saiki-kun..."

"Saiki-kun, careful," Nick stated as he walked forward, sighing. "Seeing you two act like that's starting to make me fidgety..."

Saiki weakly laughed at that, shocking his girlfriend.

_Are these two...acting...like FRIENDS?!_

"I see the look on your face, nee-chan," Nick teased, grinning widely. "And yeah, Saiki-kun and I are friends now... It's what you always wanted right?"

Saiki smiled, and Yuki's expression turned strained.

_Oh, great..._

"SAIKI-KUN, I want to speak to you ALONE, right NOW!!"

The two boys flinched and stared at her, while the aforementioned one just nodded.

"Sure thing, Yuki-chan."

Senna and Sakura blinked while Momoko lightly gasped.

Mana and Satoshi just exchanged nervous glances.

"Yuki-chan..." Nick began before Yuki shrugged him off.

"U-Use this time to get lovey-dovey with Momo-chan, it'll be only a minute!!"

That said she quickly grabbed Saiki's hand, dragging him off to somewhere they couldn't be heard or seen.

"Yuki-chan sure is acting weird," Senna noted, frowning.

Nick's frown deepened.

_I really don't understand..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Well, now that we're alone, Saiki-kun..."

"Yuki-chan...why?"

"Why?"

"_Why_ are you doing this?"

Yuki flinched at the question, her fists clenching as she bit her lip.

"Y-You have to ask?"

"If you're going to keep your _promise_," he spat, clearly angered. "Then showing up _now_ would only cause everyone unnecessary grief, _ESPECIALL_Y to you _and_ Nick-kun..."

"You're the one who mentioned it!!" she exclaimed, almost desperate. "What am I supposed to do? I... I... _I CAN'T LOSE YOU_!!"

Saiki's eyes widened in horror as she broke down, tears streaming down her cheeks as she bit down her lip in order to hold back the sobs.

"I c-can't lose you... I just can't..." her voice cracked and she flung herself into his chest, clinging helplessly to his sleeves. "Losing you... I can't do that... I don't... I don't... I have to keep you... I have to keep you no matter w-what..."

Saiki decided against wrapping his arms around her and sighed, standing still like a statue.

"Yuki-chan... It's a lost cause... I already lost control."

Yuki looked up with confused tearstained eyes.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean... Remember that time Nick-kun lost control of his powers and the two of us got into a bit of a scuffle...and he nearly k-_killed_ you?"

Yuki flinched at the memory, but nodded.

"Well, _yeah_, but..."

"It happened again."

Yuki's own eyes widened in horror.

"B-But Nick-kun's in control now...right? You didn't get hurt, right?"

"Yuki-chan," he began, his face now expressionless. "Nick-kun's not the one who lost control."

Disbelief shown in her eyes and she opened her mouth to deny it.

"I nearly killed him, Yuki-chan..." Saiki stated, his voice shaking as his eyes almost pleaded. "These powers of mine... They're too difficult to tame... If you saw, Yuki-chan..."

He closed his eyes tightly, the memory rewinding over and over again in his mind like a broken record.

"H-He looked so scared... He really thought he was going to die... And I... I deluded myself into thinking that he d-_deserved_ it... I not only broke onii-chan's promise and got blood on my hands... I nearly murdered someone who meant the _world_ to you, Yuki-chan... I'm so sorry... But I don't deserve even being _near_ you..."

Yuki shook her head.

"N-No... No matter what you do, I'll forgive you... I'll always forgive you... Even if the world doesn't, I will..."

Saiki gave her a rueful smile. "Words. I'm sick of my position being the reason why I get away with so many things, Yuki-chan..."

"Don't say that," she murmured, standing on her toes to brush her lips against his cheek. "I'll always forgive you... You and Nick-kun are friends now, right? And you didn't mean it... And he's good now... So you healed him, didn't you?"

"That may be true, but..." he sighed, shaking his head. "But you didn't witness it... All the blood... It was a pretty gruesome sight."

"S-So? Maybe it's better that way..."

"Maybe..."

Yuki frowned deeply, rubbing her lips against his for a few seconds.

"I have to keep this promise now, Saiki-kun... More than ever... I won't lose you..."

"What if it comes to..." he flinched, shuddering a bit. "_that_?"

"I'll deal with it, and Nick-kun will too." She shrugged, pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth, sighing heavily. "Besides..."

Her arms snaked around his neck, as she buried her face into it.

"Nothing's worth losing you..."

"Sure, you say that now..." he began, his own arms around her waist. "But what about when the time comes?"

Yuki's eyes fluttered shut, and she sighed.

"I won't hesitate for a moment's notice."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"You guys okay?" Senna asked, twirling Mirokumaru around in her left hand.

"We will," Yuki responded as she and Saiki returned to the group. "Saiki-kun and I just had to have a little talk."

"That's good, Yuki-chan!!" Senna giggled, unable to resist glomping Yuki. "I couldn't imagine anything BUT a smile on your cute face, Yuki-chaaaaa~n!!"

Yuki couldn't help but giggle at that.

Just then, the skies above the Wind Sphere rumbled a bit before eventually, rain started falling down.

"AGH!!!" Senna exclaimed, spinning Mirokumaru above her as a sort of makeshift umbrella. "Why does it decide to rain NOW?! I just got this new tank top!!!"

Just then, Yuki was the first to notice that Nick had fallen to his knees and started shivering.

"P-please... make... make it stop..." Nick gasped.

"What's... what wrong with Nick-kun?" Senna asked. "Is he okay?"

"He doesn't like rain anymore," Momoko answered.

"WHAT?" Senna exclaimed, wondering why that was. "It seems so weird!! Why doesn't he like rain?"

"You weren't with us when this happened, Senna-chan," Yuki stated, walking up to her brother. "I know that you know that our father was the whole reason that Nick-kun and I broke away from our old lives. Ever since then, the rain's just been a constant reminder of what occurred on that fateful night four years ago. He almost lost me to our own father. And I guess the memory of that incident never went away..."

With that, Yuki bent down and wrapped her arms around Nick. "You going to be okay, Nick-kun?"

Nick could immediately feel himself settling down in his sister's embrace. "I... I should be. That rain just keeps bringing back that awful memory..."

"I know how that feels, Nick-kun," Yuki responded. "I still can't get that memory out of my head... Just stay calm, all right? We'll get through this together."

Nick couldn't help but smile at his little sister. "Thanks, Yuki-chan. I'm sorry if I spazzed out a bit back there..."

"It's okay, Nick-kun," Yuki stated, cuddling close to her brother.

_Why did I EVER think that Nick-kun didn't need me?_ Yuki thought. _He's always been there for me... especially through everything that our father put us through... I think I remember that one time after my music class... that time when I nearly lost control of my powers because of that stupid bully..._

Yuki looked up at the makeshift sky of the Wind Sphere as she launched headlong into a memory...

_Nick let his baseball bat rest on his shoulders as he continued the journey towards Umi no Hoshi Junior High. "That was actually pretty fun," Nick stated to nobody in particular. "We haven't given those losers from Yokohama a good butt-kicking in a long time."_

_Nick was, all in all, quite proud of himself right now, having just led his baseball team to an impressive victory over Umi no Hoshi's Yokohama rival team._

_As he walked by Umi no Hoshi Junior High, he could see his sister sitting by a tree and playing her ocarina._

_Nick couldn't help but smile, but he suddenly noticed a rather buff-looking kid approaching the black witch._

"_Okay, time to stop a bully," Nick stated, rushing forward._

_Yuki was so absorbed in playing her music (which Nick had very often complimented) that she didn't even notice the bully approaching her._

_In fact, she didn't even know that the bully was there until Nick had rushed up and punched him._

"_Burt, don't EVEN think about it," Nick stated matter-of-factly._

"_What's your damage, kid?" Burt responded, rubbing the spot where he'd been struck._

"_I saw you," Nick shot back. "You think I'm stupid, don't you? I've seen the way you've been watching my sister lately. You didn't honestly think I'd be waiting?"_

"_You've got some nerve, kid," Burt responded, growling in rage and charging right at Nick, extending a switchblade._

_Before Yuki even knew what was happening, she had shot to her feet and aimed her hands at the rampaging Burt, inadvertently sending a powerful burst of dark magic straight at him and knocking him unconscious in a single shot._

_Just as Nick was recovering from the surprise of what had just happened, Yuki fell to her knees, her lips quivering._

"_Yuki-chan?" Nick asked. "What's the matter?"_

"_I... did I just lose control of my powers again?" Yuki asked._

"_He's okay," Nick responded, looking at the unconscious Burt. "He'll be fine when he wakes up, other than having a major headache."_

"_I... I didn't mean to lose control..."_

_Yuki was interrupted when Nick pulled her into a hug._

"_It's okay, Yuki-chan. You're not gonna be in any trouble for just defending yourself, no matter how unorthodox the method was," Nick stated, trying his best to calm his sister down. Thankfully, it seemed to be working._

"_I'm sorry if I worried you, Nick-kun..."_

"_Big brothers are perpetually worried about their little sisters. It's a known fact. I'm not mad at you at all, Yuki-chan. Okay?"_

_Yuki sighed happily. "Okay."_

"Guys, there's another generator close by," Saiki stated. "I can feel it..."

"Well, then let's get a move on, peoples!!!" Sakura exclaimed. Yuki couldn't help but giggle at that.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the party continued onwards towards the Wind Sphere's generator (Nick and Yuki had joined hands, keeping each other close), Nick began to feel that odd fluttery feeling he'd felt upon the arrival of the first "memory boss", as Sakura had coined it.

"Guys, there's another memory boss close by," Nick stated. "We won't know who it is until they actually show up, so I'd be ready if I were you..."

Almost as if to answer Nick's question, a mass of light particles began converging together, starting to form the next memory boss.

"Who... who's it gonna be?" Mana wondered.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Satoshi suddenly perked up at the energy, his eyes widening in horror.

_No, no... Not him... Anyone but him..._

"Onii-chan, you're shaking!!" Mana exclaimed, taking her brother's trembling hands, rubbing them in comfort. "Shhhh... It's okay..."

"I-I know Mana-chan, but..." he nearly choked on his words, shaking his head.

_The memory... It won't go away..._

His brown eyes shimmered, and his breathing became harsh.

_Where does that sound familiar? Oh, yes... Nick's fear of rain..._

He ruefully smiled at that, making a "huh" sound.

_Back in that other reality... Even though it never happened... I'm still confused as to why I remember..._

Satoshi stole a glance at a fidgety Yuki, a sigh escaping his lips.

_Because of okaa-san, right? Those feelings that were so sickening and so bitter..._

His eyes closed, and he inhaled.

_I can't get rid of them..._

"Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi snapped at Saiki's voice, staring at his father with wide eyes.

"Ahhh... H-Hai...?"

"Something wrong?" he wondered, a bit curiously. "Something's wrong...isn't it?"

Satoshi just nodded, not even bothering to disagree about it.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"For that other time."

"Huh?"

Saiki blinked in confusion before letting out a light gasp.

"Oh...that... It's fine, Satoshi-kun... Really..."

_Hurting Yuki-chan like that... Could it really be worse than that time? Ah..._

His eyes widened a bit in realization.

_But of course... If he takes after Yuki-chan..._

He stole a glance at the black witch herself, all too aware of her clenched up and shaking fist.

_We always disagree... She doesn't realize it, but..._

Saiki ducked his head, hiding his eyes.

_I can't help but notice._

"_It's fine... Perfectly fine... I won't hesitate, I swear..."_

"_For some reason, Yuki-chan... I doubt that."_

"_But, Saiki-kun..."_

He smiled, shaking his head.

_You will hesitate, Yuki-chan. I know you all too well._

His eyelids lowered, his smile twisting a bit.

_Not hesitating for Nick-kun's sake... That would be out of character for her._

Nick suddenly perked up when the enemy formed, his hand instinctively tightening around Yuki, who flinched.

_N-Nick-kun..._

"It's coming, get ready..." Momoko murmured, drawing Sakura close to her. "Stay near, Sakura-chan."

"B-But okaa-san..."

Nick gulped as it made its shape, his voice going low.

"...Tabuu. I should have known."

Yuki shivered a bit, biting her lip.

_In that other time... Saiki-kun..._

Mana looked towards her brother with glimmering eyes, gulping.

"S-Satoshi...kun?"

Satoshi said nothing, his fingers twitching.

_Funny... Even though it never happened... I still remember...that day..._

"_So you're the last link between darkness and twilight... My... You look so much like the deceased elemental..."_

_Satoshi backed away from him, his eyes wide._

"_T-The man that killed otou-san...a-and...and Mana-chan..."_

_Tabuu smirked as he waved his hand, and a strange black aura emitted from Satoshi making him clutch his sleeves, shivering._

"_N-No... Don't..."_

"_I'll make you a deal... I'll grant you control of those powers..."_

_Satoshi took caution at that, his mind jumping back to the sight of his sobbing mother._

"_O-Okaa-san's safety is what matters, Tabuu... What about that?"_

"_Physically, she should be fine."_

"_How am I supposed to be sure?"_

"_Like this, simply."_

_The second those words were said, his aura snapped back into him like elastic, making him shudder._

"_I'll take those powers off your hands... Just agree."_

_Satoshi stared, slowly thinking it over._

_I should have said no... But..._

"_Fine. Do it."_

_But I didn't... I was afraid..._

Satoshi shut his eyes tightly, sighing.

_Coward... That was it..._

"Satoshi-kun?"

"Huh?"

He looked towards his sister.

"Is... Is everything really alright?"

"Y-Yes... It is..." Satoshi forced a smile, sighing. "Stop worrying, Mana-chan."

"You know I can't help it," Mana responded in a soft voice, taking his hand, making him blush.

"Oh, Mana-chan..."

"...Nick-kun?"

Nick perked up as he felt Yuki's hand lightly squeeze his own.

"Yuki-chan?"

"Please get this over with quickly... Do your best, okay?"

She looked at him, her big brown eyes almost pleading.

"Okay?"

Nick had to smile at that.

"No need to worry... Isn't that what you always say, sis?"

Yuki smiled at that, weakly giggling.

_Nick-kun..._

"Yeah... No need to worry..."

_If only, huh? I want to be fair._

Her smile vanished, and she soon sighed.

_After all... There's still one problem..._

The black witch's eyes glanced towards Saiki, who quickly perked up.

_That promise._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Tabuu just smirked, phasing out long enough to deliver a powerful attack to Nick and Yuki.

This, surprisingly, seemed to get Satoshi really angry.

"HEY!!!" Satoshi exclaimed, stepping forwards. "If you've got something to say, Tabuu, say it to my face!!!"

"Hmph," Tabuu grunted. "You have certainly gained a spine since the last we met."

"I've done some growing up ever since Nick-kun and okaa-san changed that dreadful future I used to live in," Satoshi shot back. "I'm DONE being your sick little puppet!!"

"Why not just come back to me?" Tabuu stated. "I have the power you so desperately seek."

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO SHUT UP?!!" Satoshi snapped, firing off numerous dark shockwaves towards Tabuu and causing quite a bit of damage. "I told you, I'm done hiding from myself!! I am who I am!!"

Not wasting any time, Satoshi brought his hands out and began channeling massive amounts of energy into his palms.

"Say your prayers, Tabuu!! _MAKURAYAMI!!!!"_

Responding to Satoshi's call, a massive sphere of dark energy erupted from his palms and struck Tabuu, causing the memory to break apart in a flash of light. Tabuu's last words were...

"So... it wasn't a fallacy..."

Everything was silent for a couple seconds once the battlefield was clear.

"That... that was..." Mana quivered before breaking out into a massive smile and glomping her big brother. "THAT WAS AWESOME, ONII-CHAN!!!"

"I'd pretty much had enough of him," Satoshi responded. "So, I just put my demons in their place and did what I had to do. That's all. Now, can you at least loosen up a bit, Mana-chan? You're crushing me here..."

Mana gasped, and loosened enough of her grip so that Satoshi could breathe properly. "Sorry, onii-chan..."

Satoshi couldn't help but laugh at that, his laugh suddenly becoming a blush when Mana leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek.

"I'm proud of you, onii-chan."

Saiki had to smile himself as he watched the exchange.

Just then, a soft voice popped up.

"Sorry if we're late..."

"Yeah, what she said!!"

"Do you always have to say that?"

Nick spun around and noticed that Akemi, Moriko, and Kurumi had just appeared in front of them.

"Hey, GUYS!!!" Sakura exclaimed. "Aren't you supposed to be taking care of business down at central command?"

"What exactly does 'central command' mean?" Kurumi asked in confusion.

"It's just a thing Sakura-chan does," Mana responded.

"As for the Delegates of Darkness, we pretty much wiped them out. Doremi-chan and the others are rounding up whoever's left of them," Moriko explained.

"That's good," Nick stated. "Now, all we have to do after destroying Abel's Ark is to find their new leader and take him out. Whoever he is, I'll bet that he's the one who summoned Abel's Ark. Once he's out of commission, this nightmare will FINALLY be over."

"And then, you and I can get married, Saiki-kun!!!" Yuki squealed, latching onto her fiancé's arm. Saiki instantly started blushing at that.

Nick then noticed that the third generator had just appeared.

"Okay, I'm not taking any chances with this one," Nick stated, drawing his hands back.

"OH, OH!!! Let me help, onii-chan!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to her brother and drawing her own hands back.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

The combined force of the siblings' attacks was too much for the generator to handle, and it exploded in a flash of red and orange.

"That's three down already!!" Senna giggled.

"Which leaves us with one more generator and the central core," Saiki noted.

"Getting closer and closer by the minute!!" Sakura giggled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next area, which seemed to be a transition room between the Wind Sphere and the Fire Sphere, appeared to be a large room with a ring-shaped platform in the center of the room amidst an extremely eerie green sky.

No one but Mana noticed that Satoshi had started shivering uncontrollably again, and only she knew why.

"You okay, Satoshi-onii-chan?" Mana asked, rubbing Satoshi's shoulders comfortingly.

"You know what this place is, right, Mana-chan?" Satoshi asked, trying his best not to relive that horrible memory.

"Are you kidding me?" Mana responded. "I've been trying to drive the Embryo Compass out of my head for two months straight. Nothing."

Yuki looked back at Saiki.

_Don't worry. I'll keep my promise. Even more, I'll keep it with my friends by my side..._

A tear fell from Yuki's eye at this thought. She sure felt lucky to have such wonderful friends by her side wherever she went.

Suddenly, a beam of red light shot out from Yuki's shoulder, connecting to one of the four orbs that surrounded the Embryo Compass.

"What the heck?!" Senna exclaimed, summoning Mirokumaru. "Who did that?!"

"Wait... that energy... just came from Yuki-chan..." Saiki noted.

"No... oh, god, no..." Satoshi quivered, falling to his knees. "It's happening again..."

"What's happening again, little Saiki-kun?" Senna asked, a little confused.

Just then, a beam of blue light shot from Yuki's other shoulder and connected to the blue orb. A green beam emerged from Yuki's back, and a yellow beam emerged from her chest, all four beams connecting to the orbs.

"What... no... this can't..." Yuki stated, her entire body shaking. "The... the power of sorrow can't POSSIBLY..."

Before Yuki could even react, the four orbs of the Embryo Compass exploded with a dark flash that enveloped the black witch and covered the area.

When the flash cleared, Yuki had disappeared. In her place was a massive bug-like creature with long, oddly-shaped feet, ladybug-like wings, and a long row of razor-sharp teeth.

"What the heck just happened?!" Senna exclaimed.

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Kurumi exclaimed, staring in horror at the monster Yuki had been transformed into.

"Wait," Saiki noticed. "That tear that fell from her eye... I'll bet the energy here in the Embryo Compass must have reacted to that and thought she was a suitable vessel for all this dark power I'm sensing..."

"It's... it's happening again... why is it happening again?" Satoshi asked, now very scared.

"Wait a minute," Nick started, giving Satoshi a questioning look. "What do you know about this, Satoshi-kun?"

"This is the exact same thing that happened the last time I was trapped on Abel's Ark by the Delegates of Darkness..." Satoshi explained. "The one who'd unleashed the Ark trapped my mother here in the Embryo Compass and forced a massive amount of dark energy into her, and it turned her into this... Bachiatari Leorina... it STILL hurts me to have to say that name... I was the one that fought her before and got her back to herself... but I don't think I can go through that again..."

Nick stepped up, looking at Bachiatari Leorina. "Well, then, I guess it's time for her big brother to step up to the plate."

"Wait a minute, Nick-kun!!!" Senna exclaimed. "Despite the fact that this thing is a monster, it's still a cursed Yuki-chan!! You wouldn't hurt your own sister, would you?"

"I promised Yuki-chan that I'd always protect her in any way I could," Nick responded, drawing Hanyou Hikari. "And so, cursed or not, if I have to fight my own sister to keep my promise to her, then that's what I'm going to do."

Nick looked over at Saiki. "Saiki-kun, I may need your help with this one," Nick stated.

Saiki just smiled. "I'd be glad to, Nick-kun. For Yuki-chan's sake."

With that, Nick and Saiki raced out to the ring-shaped platform and faced down Bachiatari Leorina, ready to fight for the sake of the girl they both loved so much.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Sato..." Mana began, rubbing her brother's shoulders in order to comfort him. "No worries... Otou-chan and Uncle Nick will take care of this..."

"If they don't, I'm going to kill them," Moriko growled, her fists clenching. "If Yuki-chan dies on us... I'm going to kill her."

"Don't stress out too much, Moriko-chan," Akemi murmured, entwining their fingers.

_I'm sure... Yuki-chan will be fine with those two..._

The jade witch grimaced as she casted her glance towards her crystal-haired best friend.

"Akemi-chan..."

The ballerina just nodded, her usually soft smile firm, positive.

"I believe in those two."

Moriko had to smile at that.

_My Akemi-chan..._

"Fine, then I will, too."

Kurumi's fingers just twitched.

_Of course... I want to help Yuki-chan, too..._

She shut her eyes tightly.

_I want her back!!_

The gray witch turned back towards the battle in progress.

_Yuki-chan... Please..._

"So Saiki-kun," Nick began, staring on at the monster that had possessed his sister. "Sense any weak points on that thing?"

Saiki focused his senses for a few seconds, pointing at the thing's large abdomen.

"For example, Nick-kun, that would be its biggest weakness."

"Too easy."

Nick smirked, calculating the distance before sighing.

"No... That won't work."

"Probably not," Saiki sighed as well, guessing the green witch's plan. "You'll need a boost if you want to much less dent it... Saving Yuki-chan would require a lot of weakening, as well..."

He began pondering, growling a bit.

_Yuki-chan... That girl's always so much trouble..._

"...Don't you have a plan, Nick-kun?"

Nick gawked at him before just smiling in understanding.

"Don't you, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki mischievously smiled in return, giving a wink.

"Don't I always?"

Sakura perked up suddenly, gulping.

"D-Do you think auntie will be alright?"

Momoko nodded, sweating a bit herself.

"I-I'm sure Nick...will do it..."

_Like he always has..._

"I'm sure he's okay."

"Otou-chan, too." Mana added, beaming. "Okaa-chan will be fine."

"I hope so..." Satoshi murmured lightly, his brown eyes glimmering. "Okaa-san..."

_Yuki-chan... Okaa-san..._

He gulped, his fists clenching.

_How could this have happened to her?_

"Okay Nick-kun, you understand the plan, right?" Saiki asked after explaining, getting ready.

Nick just nodded, though partially confused from the younger prince's rather..._detailed_ explanation.

"I-I think I do, Saiki-kun..."

"Usually I say 'patience', but time is of the essence of events like this..." Saiki sighed, shaking his head. "Oh well."

The green witch's confusion faded at that.

"Right. I'll go first."

"After you, Nick-kun."

Saiki gestured an 'you go right ahead' and Nick nodded, quickly bolting across the curve straight up to Bachiatari Leorina, earning the beast to roar, making him stop in his tracks.

"Alright Saiki-kun, hurry up!!"

"Patience, Nick-kun," Saiki sighed as he raised his hands, which began glowing with a coal-black dark energy.

Bachiatari Leorina roared and approached Nick who backed up a bit in caution.

"Saiki-kun... _HURRY_."

"I said patience!!" Saiki growled with growing annoyance as he focused his energy, his eyes shining with the same sinister shade of blue that occurred when he first lost control.

"_Kurai Kairai!!"_

With that, dark energy shot from his fingertips, locking the beast into place with a roar.

Saiki winced but yanked his hands back, forcing the string-like dark energy to bring Bachiatari Leorina with it, like a puppet.

"Wow... Actually worked." Nick noted, a bit surprised.

Mana and Satoshi looked amazed.

"The irony... Otou-chan using that move..." Mana noted, gulping. "I guess he's trying what it likes to be the puppeteer for once..."

Saiki huffed, still struggling a bit with the spell.

_Of course I'm sick of being a puppet to my own powers... But trying out a move like this... I haven't even perfected it yet... I can't take this kind of stress on my magic much longer..._

He moved his hands apart, stretching out the cursed beast who was struggling against the effects of the _Kurai Kairai_.

Nick just readied Hanyou Hikari, gulping.

_Saiki-kun..._

Saiki finally waved his hands as if he were conducting something and shot Bachiatari Leorina upward, its large and round abdomen exposed.

"_Now_, Nick-kun!!"

The green witch quickly nodded and leaped, driving his weapon into the beast's main weak point, earning a loud roar of agony.

Quickly reacting, he swiped through the dark strings, the energy quickly snapping back into Saiki's hands.

Nick landed, taking a deep breath.

"There any damage done, Saiki-kun?"

"That was hardly necessary." The wizard sighed in response, rubbing his wrist. "I could have retreated myself."

"Aren't you the one always trying to take the easy way?" Nick wondered, sweatdropping a bit. "Arrogant little prince, aren't you?"

That earned a glare.

"You're the one to talk, Nick-kun."

Before the green witch could make a comment to that, Bachiatari Leorina soon rose into the air, grapping his attention.

"Let's talk about this later, got it Saiki-kun?"

"Understood."

Saiki took caution as Nick soon charged, making him perk up.

"Always wanting a slice of action, that guy..."

He rolled his eyes but shot a shockwave towards the green witch, making him perk up as he jumped towards Bachiatari Leorina once again.

"Huh...?"

Nick looked back at the shockwave as he soon hopped off it, giving him an extra boost to once again slash at the beast's abdomen.

He landed as it was flung back, Saiki quickly reactivating his _Kurai Kairai _spell, the dark strings locking into the monster's limbs to prevent it from going anywhere.

"I suppose we're just going to repeat the process," Nick noted before turning slightly worried.

"But... Can you really handle that kind of stress dealt on your body, Saiki-kun?"

"I may not be durable enough to keep my powers in check most of the time," Saiki huffed in response, already wincing from the power. "But I can handle at least two more of this spell..."

The green witch frowned at that.

_I better make the most of it, then._

Mind made up, he leapt once again, slashing at Bachiatari Leorina's abdomen again. It made another roar of agony as he sliced again, knowing full well that the beast couldn't take much more of this.

He was about to prepare the final blow when he heard a weak voice speak up from the monster.

"_P-Please stop... Nick-kun... It hurts..."_

_Yuki-chan..._

He landed and the dark strings faded, making him quickly turn towards Saiki, who was shivering.

"I-It took off...much, much more power than I thought... Sorry, Nick-kun..."

"NICK-KUN, SAIKI-KUN, HURRY!!" Senna exclaimed. "I want my adorable Yuki-chan back already!!"

Nick snapped up, and gulped.

_That's right... I just lost it when I heard Yuki-chan's voice like that..._

"N-Nick-kun...?"

Nick perked up and turned towards Saiki, who was still recovering a bit from the stress dealt from his puppetry spell.

"G-Get ready."

He just nodded, firm.

"Sure thing."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Bachiatari Leorina roared again and charged forward.

"Saiki-kun, one more!!" Nick exclaimed. Saiki nodded, activating his Kurai Kairai spell and stopping Bachiatari Leorina in its place.

Nick took this opportunity to leap off of Saiki's shoulders and deliver another slash at Bachiatari Leorina, knocking the cursed beast right off of the platform.

"Did that do it?" Senna asked.

"Not quite," Nick responded, noticing that Bachiatari Leorina had just reappeared, and was now hanging onto the underside of the ring platform.

"We may have a problem here, Nick-kun," Saiki stated. "I won't be able to use Kurai Kairai if I can't see that thing..."

Nick took a step forward to assess the situation, only to gasp in surprise when the floor tile he'd stepped on receded a bit.

Nick tapped it again, watching the tile recede and come back up, a grin forming on his face as a clever idea popped into his head.

"Saiki-kun, can you give me something to throw?" Nick asked. "I've got an idea."

Saiki nodded, creating a ball of dark energy that he tossed over to Nick.

The green witch set his eyes on Bachiatari Leorina, watching its movements as it crawled around the underside of the platform.

When he thought the time was right, Nick hopped into the air and threw the energy ball right at the loose floor tile, causing it to dip down and slam into Bachiatari Leorina's vulnerable abdomen, forcing it right off of the platform.

"JACKPOT!!!" Senna exclaimed, to which Momoko just sweatdropped.

Only problem? Bachiatari Leorina returned to the platform mere seconds later, now hanging a bit lower off of the platform.

"Clever, aren't you?" Nick stated to nobody in particular. "Momoko, could you give me a bit of a boost here?"

"I'd be delighted," Momoko stated, scooping Nick into her arms and rushing up to one of the four loose floor tiles just as Saiki tossed the green witch another energy ball.

"We've gotta time this just right..." Nick stated, waiting for the right moment.

As Bachiatari Leorina got close enough, Nick nodded to Momoko, who leapt into the air and threw Nick down to the floor tile, the green witch slamming his feet into it and forcing it to recede.

Though the tile didn't recede enough to strike Bachiatari Leorina, Nick immediately leapt back into the air and tossed the energy sphere at the tile, forcing it down even further and just barely landing the hit.

When Bachiatari Leorina returned to the center of the platform, its white skin had turned a menacing black, and its eyes became pure ruby red.

"Oh, it's pissed off now, isn't it?" Sakura noted.

Nick was about to strike again when he heard Yuki's voice in his head again.

"_Please... it hurts, Nick-kun..."_

Nick groaned a bit, still readying Hanyou Hikari.

_Please don't be mad at me for this, Yuki-chan..._

Then, all of a sudden, Yuki actually seemed to respond.

"_You know I could never get mad at you, Nick-kun. Just... please hurry up, okay?"_

_Right,_ Nick mentally stated. _I'm going to keep my promise to you, Yuki-chan, no matter what I have to do._

"_I know you will. That's why I love you, Nick-kun..."_

"Saiki-kun!!" Nick exclaimed.

"On it!!" Saiki responded, trapping Bachiatari Leorina in its place with the dark strings.

Nick took this time to leap into the air and strike the vulnerable abdomen, sending the black beast crashing to the ground.

"One more should be enough," Nick noted, judging how much damage Bachiatari Leorina had taken.

He mentally knew that Saiki had stated he could only handle so many uses of his newest spell, and the last one that the night elemental had used was probably the limit, so Nick knew that the final hit would be all up to him.

Just waiting for Bachiatari Leorina to get close enough, Nick kept a tight grip on Hanyou Hikari, ready for whatever the cursed beast would try to pull.

Once it got close enough, Nick slammed Hanyou Hikari into the ground, propelling himself upwards and high enough to deliver the final strike.

Bachiatari Leorina roared in agony before collapsing onto the ground, defeated.

Not wasting any time, Nick aimed towards Bachiatari Leorina.

"How DARE you possess my sister like that, you cursed beast?! _Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!! PURIFICATION!!!_"

A powerful purification spell thundered from Nick's open hands and struck Bachiatari Leorina, instantly disintegrating the cursed beast and leaving Yuki where it once was.

"Purification complete," Nick proclaimed before rushing up to his sister.

"Yuki-chan? You okay?"

The black witch slowly opened her eyes, looking up at her brother.

"I should be. I have no idea what just happened back there... all I remember is shedding a tear because I was so happy to have you guys by my side, then all of a sudden, those orb thingies glow and turned me into that... that THING..."

Nick couldn't help but hug his sister. "It's okay, Yuki-chan. You're safe now."

Yuki had to smile at that. "It's because I have someone like you by my side."

Yuki returned her brother's embrace. "I love you, Nick-kun."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan."

"YAY!!! MY ADORABLE YUKI-CHAN'S BACK!!!" Senna exclaimed before rushing up and glomping Yuki.

"So, how much farther, guys?" Sakura asked before she immediately noticed that they had just appeared in front of the last of the four generators.

"Hey, nice of them to give us the free trip!!" Sakura giggled. "That was actually pretty easy..."

"No," Nick responded. "There's something here. It's NEVER that easy..."

Almost as if to answer Nick's question, another memory boss appeared right in front of the party.

Only this time, Nick was the one who looked shocked.

"No... not you again..."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

He quickly pulled Yuki behind him, making her perk up from the anger in his eyes.

_Onii...chan?_

"Yami," he snarled, his grip tightening on his weapon. "I should have known..."

Yuki's eyes slowly widened.

_Yami...?_

Indeed it was Yami standing there, though for some reason, he was holding a pensive look in contrary to his usual evil smirk.

Nick didn't really care to wonder why.

"I-It's that evil Nick-kun..." Akemi squeaked, immediately getting pulled into a tight embrace by Moriko.

"But something's wrong with him..." the jade witch murmured, her eyes glimmering. "Still, I am not going to let him near you, Akemi-chan..."

Kurumi gulped, her fists clenching.

_After what he did to Yuki-chan... It's no wonder..._

She casted her glance towards Saiki, who seemed as tense as Nick was.

_Something tells me even Saiki-kun's nervous... After all, the power Nick-kun had, then..._

Kurumi looked towards Momoko, who just held Sakura close, gulping.

_It was thanks to me, Momo-chan, and Yuki-chan... And everyone around us... But..._

A drop of sweat ran down her cheek.

_Saiki-kun did say that the same thing doesn't happen twice..._

Yuki blinked as Nick formed a defensive stance in front of her, obviously not letting Yami anywhere near her.

"J-Jii-chan... careful..." Mana squeaked, Satoshi holding her close.

_Hang in there... Nick._

The black witch suddenly perked up as she saw the generator behind Yami began glowing a ruby red with black streaks in its aura. Her eyes widened.

_The power I was looking for..._

She gritted her teeth, her fingers digging into her palms.

_It's right there!!_

Yuki soon snapped out of it, her eyes wide.

_But... If I hurt Nick-kun like this..._

"_Showing up now would only cause everyone unnecessary grief, _ESPECIALLY_ to you _and_ Nick-kun..."_ Saiki's voice reminded her in her mind, making her bite her lip, shivering.

_But... I have to, Saiki-kun... I know I should keep my promise at a better time than this... But this is the only real chance I have!!_

Nick noticed his sister trembling, keeping a hand clamped on her shoulder, making her flinch.

"Just stay close, Yuki-chan."

_Onii-chan... I can't._

She pushed him away, surprising him.

"Y-Yuki-chan...?"

"It's okay..." she murmured, bowing her head to hide her eyes. "Let me do this...for now."

"Um..." Nick's eyes widened as she walked past him, quickly grabbing her wrist to prevent her from going further. "Where are you GOING, Nick-kun?"

Yuki's eyes went blank.

"...Let go of me right now, Nick-kun."

"Explain what's going on, first," her brother huffed, his voice firm.

"I _said_ let go."

"No, Yuki-chan."

Saiki's eyes soon jolted wide.

_Wait... Is she?_

"You're really making me mad..." Yuki whispered, not turning to face him. "Let go, before I'm forced to hurt you."

Nick looked surprised at that, his grip loosening.

"But, sis..."

"LET GO OF ME RIGHT _NOW_, YOU IDIOT!!"

He released her hand out of shock, surprised at the outburst.

"Yuki-chan..." Senna began, worried beyond belief. "What's wrong with my adorable Yuki-chan?"

"I-I never seen her snap at Nick like that..." Momoko shakily stated, her grip on Sakura tightening as she wince.

"O-Otou-san... Auntie..."

"Okaa-chan..." Mana began before perking up and staring at Saiki, her eyes widening. "Otou-chan...?"

"Yuki-chan, you're really not making sense right now..." Nick started in a shaky voice, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

_Why is there this sinking horror...?_

"_Don't touch me_."

The green witch's hand froze, trembling from the inch between Yuki's shoulder and his fingertips.

"Yu...Yuki-chan...?"

Yuki turned to face him, making him freeze at the sight of her cold, hate-filled brown eyes.

"Yuki-chan...?"

"Don't stop me. Don't ever touch me again. Don't go after me... You're..."

Her voice dropped below a whisper.

"You're no longer special to me, onii-chan."

Nick's eyes widened in horror as he stared, his lips parted.

"But Yuki-chan..."

"...You don't know what you're saying."

Nick's eyes widened as he turned to face Saiki, who seemed almost desperate.

"She doesn't mean it, really... I'm sorry..."

"Saiki-kun..."

Yuki's eyes glimmered, suddenly looking hesitant.

"Saiki-kun... Why won't you..."

She shut her eyes tightly for a moment before opening them, her brown eyes once again blank and dazed.

"I'm keeping my promise...no matter what... At least you're by my side up until this point... But don't come after me anymore, okay?"

Nick stared at her in confusion, not quite sure if she was talking to him or to Saiki.

The black witch soon turned around and walked up to Yami, who much to everyone else's shock, gestured to the last generator, allowing her to continue forward, placing her hand on the machine.

_...Finally..._

"Nick-kun, stop her!!" Kurumi growled, her fists clenching before turning surprised at his blank stare. "...Nick-kun?"

He still seemed to be out of it.

"Otou-san..." Sakura nearly begged.

Satoshi and Mana looked at each other, both rueful as they bowed their heads.

"Nick-kun..." Saiki began, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you're going to blame anyone... Blame me, alright?"

Nick stared at him, and sighed.

"I told myself...that I would never get in the way of her happiness, Saiki-kun... If this is what she wants..."

His eyes snapped wide when Yuki began glowing with a dark crimson aura, her eyes slowly changing from her usual chocolate brown to a brilliant ruby red.

Saiki quickly his head, groaning in pain, surprising Nick.

"S-Saiki-kun?!"

"It hurts...so badly..." he gasped, shaking a bit. "Nick-kun...don't let her..."

"What...?" Nick wondered before his sister disappeared in a flash of light, making him perk up.

"YUKI-CHAN!!!"

Saiki winced, looking up.

"I didn't think...she'd actually do it."

"Do it? Do what, Saiki-kun?" Nick asked, still confused. "Listen, you have to tell me what's going on... And don't be vague, and don't give me the usual 'patience' nonsense that you..."

"Fine."

"Huh?" the green witch's eyes were question marks. "You're going to tell me everything? No 'patience, Nick-kun' or 'it's none of your business' or...or 'you don't need to worry about it'?!"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Nick-kun..." Saiki whispered, his voice shaking as he looked towards him, his eyes glimmering. "I'll tell you EVERYTHING, what our promise is... what that power was... Why she disappeared... It doesn't matter anymore, keeping secrets like this... I'm tired of it..."

Nick stared at him, slowly complementing whether or not the night elemental lost it.

"...Everything?"

"Everything," he agreed in a soft voice. "I don't care anymore... But you'll need to defeat Yami first... and then I'll tell you absolutely EVERYTHING. All the details, all the problems, everything about the Abel's Ark that only I've known..."

Nick slowly nodded, turning back to Yami.

"I-If you say so..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

**("With Me" by Emma Gelotte and Tina Karlsdotter plays)**

"Well, well," Yami proclaimed. "I may be just a memory, but I knew we'd be seeing each other again."

"Why don't you just shut up, you little bastard?!" Nick exclaimed. "I told you, you're not going to control me anymore!!"

"It is quite sad that your little sister is no longer around for this," Yami proclaimed.

At this, what Yuki had said to him ran right through his head.

"_You're no longer special to me, onii-chan."_

_Why would she say something like that to me?_ Nick thought, casting a glance back at Saiki. _And just what does Saiki-kun know about this that I don't?_

Nick shifted his focus back to Yami. _I'll question him once I'm done with this freak._

"Very sad that little Yuki no longer needs you," Yami stated, obviously trying to torment Nick.

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!!" Nick screamed, officially losing his temper and charging at Yami, the two meeting blades almost instantly.

Sakura watched the fight, a little concerned about her father. _Just don't lose control of yourself, otou-san..._

Nick and Yami clashed again and again, neither one letting up in the least.

"You've definitely improved since the last we met, boy," Yami stated, swinging his Buster Sword in an arc attack.

"It's been over a year since that whole mess," Nick teased, blocking the attack and striking with an overhead swing. "Naturally I'd have new skills."

"I see," Yami noted. "Well, I have new skills, too."

Not wasting a second, Yami grabbed Nick by his shirt collar and slammed him into one of the walls surrounding the final generator. Yami quickly hopped back, droves of dark energy forming in his hands.

"Pitiful efforts, boy. _Mystic Arte!! Darkness Devastation!!_" Yami proclaimed, the dark energy forming into a large purple glyph that expelled hundreds of dark energy beams that ripped into Nick mercilessly.

"OTOU-SAN!!!" Sakura exclaimed, rushing onto the battlefield, only to be swatted away by Yami.

"Stay out of my way, hatchling," Yami proclaimed. This only seemed to make Nick angrier.

"That was my DAUGHTER you just swatted, you little freak!! You really think I'd let you get away with that?" Nick exclaimed.

"Words," Yami stated, imitating Saiki. Just then, Nick performed an uppercut with Hanyou Hikari that knocked Yami right into the air.

"_O stars that glitter in the dead of a twilight-soaked night sky..."_ Nick chanted, lashing out with multiple sword strokes from Hanyou Hikari, each strike causing considerable damage.

"_Shine your healing light on this dilapidated realm and bring forth a wondrous new day!!"_ Nick continued, backing up a few steps and then charging forward, striking so fast that the others didn't even see him make contact. This strike knocked Yami into the air, and Nick leaped after him to finish off his attack.

"_Mystic Arte!! Divine Genesis!!"_ Nick exclaimed, slamming his palms into Yami's chest and smashing him into the ground, which created a column of energy that shot into the sky from the point of impact and causing a massive toll of damage.

However, Yami was still standing even after that massive attack.

"You're still alive, you bastard?!" Nick exclaimed.

"What did I tell you, boy?" Yami shot back. "As long as you have your temper and impatience, I'll always be within. There's no way you'll be able to completely contain me."

"I know that," Nick responded. "I've been told that enough."

Saiki just shrugged his shoulders.

"But I'm not letting you control me. Despite what Yuki-chan said, she's still special to me. And I won't let people like you push the ones I love around."

Yami just smirked. "If you say so."

Once again, the two clashed blades, sparks flying.

"Such worthless efforts," Yami proclaimed.

"If you think you're going to psych me out, you're dead wrong," Nick shot back, grabbing Yami and slamming him right into the generator.

Not wasting a second, Nick raised Hanyou Hikari, which began glowing with an immensely bright light.

"Say your prayers, Yami!!"

Hanyou Hikari began glowing a bright blue as Nick brought it behind him.

"I've had just about enough of you," Nick stated, readying his attack.

"_Divine Retribution!!"_

With that, Nick brought Hanyou Hikari down hard, creating a massive blade of energy that sliced through both Yami and the generator at the same time, completely destroying both in a flash of light.

Once the battlefield was clear, Satoshi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Okay, so all four of the main generators are gone... now we just have to get rid of the central core to destroy this thing..."

Nick wasted no time in rushing over to his daughter. "You okay, Sakura-chan?"

"I should be," Sakura giggled as Nick hugged her. "But when I see Yami again, I'm giving him a good kick to the face!! That HURT!!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Nick stated.

Momoko couldn't help but smile at the cute sight.

Then, Nick perked up. "Oh, almost forgot."

Nick shifted his gaze over to Saiki.

"Saiki-kun?"

"Yeah?"

Nick's expression turned deadly serious.

"You've got some explaining to do."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Saiki sighed for a few moments.

_I DID say that I'd tell him everything... Might as well... I at least hope he understands..._

"Where would you like me to start, Nick-kun? Anything you need to know."

"Well," Nick began, still feeling a little weird that Saiki was complying to his demands for once. "First thing's first... What happened to Yuki-chan?"

The night elemental pursed his lips in thought at that.

"How can I say...? An easy way of putting it would be that she absorbed the energy that was within the last generator..."

He turned to the said generator, which seemed now like a hunk of metal more than anything else.

"The Abel's Ark final hold for power... It's within the final generator."

"So why isn't this thing falling?" Nick asked, trying to process all that the night elemental was explaining.

"It links to that power like its own... And until that power is destroyed, or taken out of it, the Abel's Ark will collapse... and it will mean doom to those below."

"Destroy power source, destroy Abel's Ark..." Nick noted quietly. "But here's the question, HOW do we get that power out of my sister?!"

Saiki's smile turned strained at that.

"But extracting that power from her body, Nick-kun... Or killing her, that'll work too."

"DON'T TALK LIGHTLY ABOUT STUFF LIKE THAT!!!" Nick yelled at him, though he remained calm. Nick huffed, taking in a deep breath.

"...Saiki-kun? Why'd she do it?"

Saiki smiled at him ruefully, sighing.

"Because she thought I needed it."

"Because you needed it?" Nick asked, a bit confused. "What's that mean?"

"Nick-kun, do you remember when I lost control of my powers? Do you remember how I tried to kill you then?"

Nick felt his chest, shuddering at the memory.

"How could I forget? I really thought I was going to die back there..."

"I'm so sorry for that," Saiki muttered before looking up, his eyes unclear. "The promise Yuki-chan and I made... Or rather, the one she forced me to keep a secret... She made it all up on her own, really..."

"Cut to the chase," the green witch muttered, folding his arms.

"Nick..." Momoko began before Saiki continued.

"Right... That is to say that Yuki-chan can be quite... obsessive at times."

Nick perked up, his eyes wide.

"You don't know her like I know her, Nick-kun."

"You seriously think I don't know my own sister?" Nick asked in a quiet voice before Saiki cut him off, his voice desperate.

"_Please_ just listen!!"

The green witch shut his mouth as the black-haired wizard continued, his voice shaking a bit.

"It's insane, Nick-kun... These desires... they're keeping both me AND Yuki-chan chained towards one another..."

Nick opened his mouth to ask why but decided against it as Saiki shook his head, his voice going low.

"Our relationship isn't what you think it is... We're close, because our powers are so linked towards one another... It's simple, Nick-kun... I'm naturally pulled in towards Yuki-chan's twilight energy and she's the same way... There was no love in the beginning, just understanding and empathy for what our powers are and what they do."

The green witch blinked. "I'm... a little confused, Saiki-kun."

"It's no surprise," Saiki faked a laugh, sighing. "It's not something you'd understand... You'd have to experience it to be able to... You and Momoko-chan have such a pure relationship... not like Yuki-chan and I... Maybe if I was normal... maybe if she wasn't born with those powers... Maybe... It's all a bunch of 'if only'."

He looked towards Nick, and frowned.

"I fell in love with her because of how innocent she was... I should have known better... But that twilight energy of hers was simply... fascinating... Even though I knew what would happen if our powers mixed... I couldn't help myself."

He shook his head, and Satoshi gulped.

Nick just stared, sighing himself.

"So...?"

"Yuki-chan's feelings towards me aren't that much different from my own, Nick-kun. I'll always do what's better for her well-being, her happiness is something I can only pray for... But for Yuki-chan, it's completely switched around in her case..."

The green witch's eyes widened as he finally understood.

"I never thought you'd mean THAT much to her, Saiki-kun... But I guess it makes sense... No WONDER she always blamed me whenever we got into a scuffle..."

"Yes, unfair isn't it?" Saiki asked quietly, sighing. "Yuki-chan's twilight energy makes her unstable... And she's so focused on the short run that she doesn't realize the dangers in the long run."

Nick gasped at that.

"What does she plan to do?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but it won't be good... Everyone's in danger up until then, though... No, that's a lie. I do have a good idea about what she plans to do..."

"Don't bother," Nick cut him off before his fists clenched. "What promise did you two make each other?"

"She said she's going to 'make the pain go away'... I wasn't sure what she meant... until... she made me promise, no _swear_ not to stop her... and to not tell you, because she was sure you'd try to stop her..."

"She was right," the green witch growled, his fists clenching.

The night elemental nodded, sighing.

"Yes, and I shouldn't have let her do it..."

"So why did you?" Nick asked, staring at him oddly. "I mean... I know how hard it must be saying no to her..."

"It isn't just hard, Nick-kun. It's impossible."

"But..."

"Nick-kun," Saiki started in a hard voice, his fists clenching. "I have to have someone above me... I don't know why, it could be a mental disability, but I HAVE to have someone to take orders from."

Nick continued staring, not quite understanding.

Saiki smiled, laughing a bit.

"You see... the reason why onii-chan doesn't need me is because he broke that bond we shared... He didn't want me to take orders from anyone, including himself, so he broke it without a second thought..."

The green witch's eyes widened as he continued.

"It wasn't complete... Somehow Yuki-chan's twilight energy... It doesn't matter now, all that DOES matter is that I can't say no to her. I can negotiate, but not deny... not to her..."

The night elemental licked his dry lips, sighing.

"I'm practically a slave to her, Nick-kun...and she knows that. I don't hate myself for that...but I hate not being able to control my own actions."

"So we have to stop her, right?" Nick whispered, his voice quiet.

Saiki simply nodded.

"If she gets her way, Nick-kun... you'd be surprised... Yuki-chan's different now, she's been corrupted by all the dark energy that she's been exposed to... including my own."

"Otou-chan," Mana began, gripping his sleeve. "That's not..."

"I'm sorry that I had to tell you like this," Saiki continued, sighing. "I guess this means our not-so-long-lasted friendship is broken now, huh Nick-kun?"

"Believe it or not Saiki-kun," Nick stated, his voice firm. "I think it's easier to understand why I didn't like you..."

Saiki simply looked down, sighing.

"I see..."

"But we're still friends. The fact that you told me all this means you must trust me now, right?"

Saiki's eyes widened as he looked up.

_I never thought of it that way... But he's right, isn't he?_

"Thanks, Nick-kun."

"I should thank you, Saiki-kun."

The two shook hands and the others ran up, fidgety.

"So tell me this..." Senna began, her fingers twitching. "HOW DO WE GET YUKI-CHAN BACK?!!"

"We'll have to extract that power..." Nick grimaced. "Hopefully, I'll be able to reach her..."

"I should probably help as well..." Saiki murmured, sighing. "After all, Yuki-chan told me not to stop her from gathering that power...it's expired now."

"I just hope she's alright..." Satoshi mumbled, while Mana took his hand.

"It's okay, onii-chan."

"Moriko-chan, what do you think?" Akemi asked, making Moriko growled.

"I think I should slap Yuki-chan when we find her."

"Oh, that figures..."

Kurumi folded her arms.

"But finding her fist... That's what we need to do, right?"

Nick and Saiki both nodded.

"Right..."

"Saiki-kun," Nick began, turning to him. "Where did she go, anyway?"

"Somewhere to use that power properly, I suppose..." Saiki looked off towards the darkness. "We'll have to be very resilient to find it... There are many obstacles up ahead..."

"I suppose we'll figure it out when we'll get there," Nick stated with a slight smile. "But we'll get to her, nevertheless."

Saiki simply nodded.

_I may not be able to say no to a demand... but a request is something I can ignore easily._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Any luck finding our missing twilight princess?" Moriko asked.

"It's vague, but I can sense Yuki-chan's aura somewhere near the central core of Abel's Ark," Saiki noted.

"Then that's where we've gotta go," Nick responded. "Despite what she said to me, Yuki-chan is still a precious person in her life. I don't want her to ever be alone anymore."

Nick turned back to the rest of the party. "So what do you say, everybody? Let's go find Yuki-chan and put an end to this madness!!"

"Damn straight!!" Senna giggled. "I just want my Yuki-chan back!!"

Mana couldn't help but giggle at that.

Just then, before anyone else could understand what was going on, Nick was covered in a bright flash and whisked away.

"NICK!!!" Momoko exclaimed.

"What the heck just happened?!" Sakura exclaimed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Nick could see again, he had been dumped onto a platform situated in the middle of a massive green void.

"What... what the hell?" Nick asked. "What just happened?"

Nick sprung to his feet, trying to make sense of exactly where he was.

"Could someone please explain this?!" Nick exclaimed.

"_Patience, young one."_

"Oh, please don't start that..." Nick groaned.

Completely surprising him, four gigantic creatures cloaked in shadow appeared on the scene.

"Okay, I think I've officially lost it," Nick stated.

"_We are as real as you are, young one."_

"_We have existed in the shadows for far too long, though we do not mean any harm."_

"Okay, so if that's true, why exactly ARE you here now?" Nick wondered.

One of the giants stepped forward.

"_If Dark Spirit is released, shadow will consume the world."_

"_But even so, there is one hope. We were brought to this world to teach the chosen one something to aid in the conquest of Dark Spirit."_

The third giant raised its hand, and Nick suddenly found an ocarina in his hands.

"This looks like Yuki-chan's ocarina..." Nick noticed. "What gives?"

"_This ocarina will play a special melody to vanquish Dark Spirit's shadow, but it must be played at the right time, and can only be played by the chosen one."_

"Me, right?" Nick stated. "I'm really not surprised."

"_Listen well to this melody, young one."_

The giants started grunting to a tune. Once they were done, Nick readied the ocarina and played the same tune the giants had just sung.

"_Remember this melody, chosen one, and use it when the time is right, and you will be able to conquer even the fleetest of shadows."_

"Speaking of shadows, my sister is here somewhere, and she just absorbed a lot of dark power. It's making we worry," Nick explained. "Is there a way I can extract that power from her without killing her?"

"_A girl? Your sister?"_

"_Ah, she must be the Other."_

NOW Nick was confused.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Nick asked.

"_In time, young one."_

"Figures."

Before he could ask any more questions, Nick was whisked away again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Once Nick had reappeared with the party, Momoko was the first to rush up to him.

"You okay, Nick?" Momoko asked.

"I'm fine," Nick responded. "Just a little weirded out. I met these four giants and they gave me an ocarina, said something about a purifying melody... Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder..."

"We should probably keep going," Saiki noted. "The central core isn't too far from here."

And with that, the party continued onwards.

Before long, the party finally arrived at a massive black sphere with wires running every which way from it.

"Is this it, Saiki-kun?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Saiki responded. "This is the central core of Abel's Ark. We destroy this thing, and Abel's Ark will destroy itself."

"Then I think I know what needs to be done," Nick stated, drawing Hanyou Hikari and rushing towards the core.

"Guys?" Senna asked, gripping Mirokumaru tightly. "Is anyone else getting an uneasy feeling?"

"You're not the only one, Senna-chan," Saiki noted. "It's never as easy as it looks. I'm willing to bet there's one more guardian standing in our way."

Almost as if to answer Saiki's inquiry, something dropped down in front of Nick, stopping his rush to the central core.

Nick took a good look at the last guardian. It appeared to be a large dragon-like beast with metallic scales, blue-and-silver skin, and a jewel embedded in its chest.

"Boy, did I call it," Saiki groaned.

Nick brought Hanyou Hikari into a fighting stance.

"Doesn't it just figure?" Nick groaned, ready to fight the Primal Tempus.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Don't worry otou-san, you can take this joker!!" Sakura exclaimed with a thumbs up, making both Satoshi and Mana sweatdrop.

"Even now she hasn't changed..." Mana stated before noticing something, staring at her brother.

"Something wrong? Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi flinched at that, blushing a bit.

"M-Mana-chan... I..."

"You're worried about okaa-chan, right?"

"How could I not?"

Satoshi shook his head, his brown eyes glimmering.

"And what otou-san said about his relationship with okaa-san... I never knew... I-I never noticed..."

"There's a reason for that," Mana responded, smiling a bit as she looked forward. "People grow up."

_The past is the past... the present is a treasure... and the future will always be infinite._

"What's that supposed to mean, Mana-chan?" Satoshi asked, a bit confused.

Mana simply smiled.

"Isn't it obvious, my sweet older brother?"

Her brother's blush deepened at that.

"M-Mana-chan..."

_She never does change, really..._

Mana's smile brightened.

"I want okaa-chan back as much as you do, AND..."

Her voice got below a whisper.

"I don't want you to disappear, onii-chan."

Satoshi's eyes widened.

_Does she mean...?_

"I love you, remember that." Mana looked at him, her navy-colored eyes sparkling. "You're the best big brother I could have ever asked for..."

"And you're just the sweetest little sister..." Satoshi laughed, ruffling her dark black locks. "I love you too, Mana-chan."

"That's a relief, Satoshi-nii-chan."

"Saiki-kun, do you think Nick-kun will be okay?" Senna asked, bouncing up. "Also... I AM worried about my dear Yuki-chan... Or is she your Yuki-chan? I forget."

"Depends on the situation, Senna-chan," Saiki responded matter-of-factly before sighed. "And I'm pretty sure Nick-kun will handle this guy fine... He's not nearly as strong as..."

"That's not what I mean."

He stared at her in confusion, blinking.

"What did you mean then, Senna-chan?"

Senna sighed, folding her arms.

"I mean... I'm really worried about Yuki-chan..."

"You already said that," the night elemental reminded her a bit warily, earning a nod.

"Yes, I know."

Senna's grip on her arms tightened as she sighed.

_I was just thinking, I suppose..._

"Nick-kun better not lose," Moriko fumed while Akemi patted her shoulder.

"I-It's Nick-kun... He'll surely win..."

Kurumi just nodded, gulping.

_Nick-kun..._

Nick took caution as the Primal Tempus roared, and dodged a swipe of its tail.

"Looks like this one will be a while... But I don't have much time for this, so..."

He leapt into the air and plunged Hanyou Hikari into the jewel on its chest, only to be blocked by a shield, shocking him.

_What?!_

He was knocked to the ground, earning Momoko to scream out his name.

"NICK!!"

"Wow... Resourceful, isn't he?" Nick wondered, stepping back to his feet. "That's a shame..."

He soon shrugged, turning towards Saiki.

"Care to give me a hand, Saiki-kun?"

The night elemental smiled at that.

"In case you didn't know Nick-kun, that shield around the gem is breakable..."

"I could have figured that out, but..."

"You're taking the quickest way out."

The green witch flushed red at that.

"Answer my question already."

Saiki's grin widened.

"Sorry, sorry. But my Kurai Kairai spell is still unusable from the last battle..."

Nick sighed.

_Even though that would have been useful... It's my fault for making him use it so much..._

"That's fine. You always have a back-up plan, don't you?"

"But of course..." Saiki responded matter-of-factly. "There's just the issue of a double-edge..."

With that he snapped his fingers, a flicker of dark coal black magic turning on, sparking a bit.

"I don't want to hurt you, but is this okay?"

Nick nodded.

"Why not? I've gotten healed by the power of darkness before."

The night elemental chuckled at that and the dark flame vanished as he waved his hand.

"First off... There's the issue of that thing's barrier."

Nick nodded, readying Hanyou Hikari.

"It's going to know when you attack, Nick-kun... If I fire a shockwave... It'll notice that too..."

"Great," the green witch muttered, his grip on his sword tightening. "What do I do then?"

"...Think fast."

"Huh?"

Nick let out a yelp as Saiki fired a shockwave at him without warning and he quickly and unintentionally batted it into the Primal Tempus, who let out a roar of agony upon contact.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" he exclaimed, still unaware of what just happened.

"For breaking the barrier, idiot," Saiki sighed, pointing his thumb to the Primal Tempus, who was shivering in pain.

"You could have given me a warning...!!"

"I DID say there would be a double-edge, Nick-kun."

Nick groaned at that, but noticed the dented barrier around its jewel, perking up.

"On second thought... He's right..."

"Of _course_ I am," Saiki sighed, getting further on his nerves.

"I'm SORRY alright, but this... This isn't the time to be arguing, okay?!"

"You started it." The night elemental muttered with the roll of his eyes.

"Whatever... How many more hits till it's vulnerable?"

Saiki held up two fingers and Nick nodded, getting the message.

"Alright, then."

With that he charged for the Primal Tempus as it roared and swiped at him, the green witch quickly dodging.

And as soon as the dragon-like thing was close enough...

"This time, do think fast, Nick-kun!!"

Nick nodded as he batted another shockwave towards the Primal Tempus, successfully bursting the barrier.

_We're almost there!!_

The beast charged towards him again and he dashed underneath, hopping onto his tail.

"That's a bit dangerous," Saiki sighed, sweatdropping a bit.

"GO OTOU-SAN!!" Sakura cheered, squealing.

Trying to shake Nick off, the Primal Tempus roared, and the green witch jolted up its back, leaping once more into the air.

And Saiki understood.

"Alright, whatever works!!" he exclaimed, unleashing a shockwave towards Nick, who swatted it towards the dragon's jewel one last time, effectively shattering it.

"You're done!!" Nick proclaimed, diving his sword into the jewel, cracking it as the Primal Tempus roared, fading away in a flash of light as he landed, looking once more towards the gate of darkness.

"Good work as usual, Nick-kun," Saiki noted, to which he simply nodded in gratitude.

"Saiki-kun... Yuki-chan's just above those doors... and I still don't know...how do I extract that power from her without seriously injuring her?"

The black-haired wizard shrugged.

"Well, the thing is, Nick-kun..."

"You know how to do it, Saiki-kun," Nick growled, turning to face him. "You KNOW how to extract it... It's one of the effects of your Makurayami spell!!"

"How would you know that?" Saiki asked, surprised he knew. "How'd you find out?"

"It's funny... When Yuki-chan lost control of her power after I lost it... I wasn't COMPLETELY unconscious, Saiki-kun... I heard your voice, chanting that spell, and all of a sudden Yuki's energy went down... You extracted her power, and put it right back. I remember that event clearly."

"I thought you'd forgotten all about that," the night elemental muttered, laughing a bit. "You're quite the observant one, Nick-kun...a little like Yuki-chan, I suppose."

"You might know of the only way to help her..." Nick continued, his voice shaking. "Please Saiki-kun, I hate to beg _you_ of all people..."

"I don't trust myself, Nick-kun. If I extract her power without returning it... I'll have to give something equal in return to prevent from hurting her..."

Nick grimaced at that.

"If it's that or killing her, Saiki-kun..."

"I can't hurt her, Nick-kun. I'm sorry."

"Right... Sorry about that."

"No..." Saiki quickly smiled sadly, shaking his hand. "I will help though... I can't hurt her... I can't, I'm sorry."

Nick made a "huh" sound.

_I'm not surprised... But I can't blame him._

"Do whatever you can, Saiki-kun."

Saiki nodded, sighing.

"As you wish, Nick-kun."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick took a good look at the gate of darkness that was hovering just in front of the central core.

"Well, Yuki-chan's beyond this gigantic door," Saiki stated. "You understand that there's no turning back once we go in there. It's victory... or oblivion."

"But no pressure," Nick teased.

"It should probably be just me and Nick-kun for this one," Saiki stated to the others. "The two of us have the most connections to Yuki-chan, so we've got the best chance of getting her back to herself."

"You with me, Nick-kun?"

"You know it."

And with that, Nick and Saiki entered the doorway, which quickly closed behind them.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the two boys explored the mysterious area, which looked a lot like an eerie mansion situated within a dark void, Nick's mind couldn't help but turn back to what Yuki had said to him.

"_Yuki-chan...?"_

"_Don't stop me. Don't ever touch me again. Don't go after me... You're..."_

_Her voice dropped below a whisper._

"_You're no longer special to me, onii-chan."_

_Nick's eyes widened in horror as he stared, his lips parted._

"_But Yuki-chan..."_

"_...You don't know what you're saying."_

_Nick's eyes widened as he turned to face Saiki, who seemed almost desperate._

"_She doesn't mean it, really... I'm sorry..."_

"_Saiki-kun..."_

_Yuki's eyes glimmered, suddenly looking hesitant._

"_Saiki-kun... Why won't you..."_

_She shut her eyes tightly for a moment before opening them, her brown eyes once again blank and dazed._

"_I'm keeping my promise...no matter what... At least you're by my side up until this point... But don't come after me anymore, okay?"_

Saiki seemed to notice, patting the green witch on the shoulder.

"I don't think she meant that," Saiki stated. "Yuki-chan's always been over-dramatic."

"But I don't want to lose her, Saiki-kun," Nick responded. "You know what it's like to lose a bond with someone you love. I don't EVER want to go through that. You understand that?"

"I know you're worried, Nick-kun, but we'll get her back," Saiki stated matter-of-factly. "I promise."

"That... that actually reassured me a bit," Nick replied, quite surprised.

Saiki smiled. "That was the intent."

Just then, a powerful ball of dark energy struck the ground underneath the two boys, scattering them across the area.

"What the heck was that?" Nick exclaimed.

"No idea..." Saiki responded, only to turn around and notice who had just attacked them.

"Oh... oh, hell..."

"What? WHAT?" Nick shot back, turning around and seeing quite clearly what.

It was Yuki.

Though she looked completely different.

Her skin tone had turned deathly pale, her normally twilight-black hair had turned silver and grown longer, her normally brown eyes had become an eerie shade of navy blue, and a pair of dark angel wings had unfolded from her back. She was also wearing a very strange uniform.

"Oh, hell... we might be in trouble..." Saiki stated.

"What's the matter? What the hell happened to my sister?!" Nick exclaimed.

"She's become the Angel of Dusk..." Saiki explained. "We're screwed."

"Don't be so defeatist," Nick proclaimed. "And what exactly IS the Angel of Dusk?"

"Oyijiide-san told me about it once," Saiki responded. "The Angel of Dusk is a being of immense dark power, said to be subordinate to someone called Dark Spirit. They were apparently both sealed away within Abel's Ark, but when Yuki-chan absorbed the power from that last generator, the Angel of Dusk must have taken over her body."

Not needing to hear any more, Nick shifted into fighting stance, surprising Saiki a little.

"Wait, Nick-kun. That's still Yuki-chan over there," Saiki stated.

"I don't care, Saiki-kun. I made a promise."

Nick looked over at his possessed sister.

"I really don't want to fight my sister... but I will if I have to."

Not wasting any time, Nick summoned Hanyou Hikari.

"_When the world sparkles and the sun retreats to the horizons... Sekai no Hikari, bring forth your light!!"_

Once Sekai no Hikari was firmly grasped in his hands, Nick turned back to Yuki.

"As long as I have my promise, I won't back down. I don't care what she said about me. Yuki-chan will always be precious to me."

Nick swung his weapon a couple times to prepare himself for the impending battle.

"And I'm not going to give her up."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Saiki perked up he noticed a rather strange smirk curl around her lips, making his eyes widen.

_Wait a minute..._

He turned towards Nick, gulping a bit. "Nick-kun...?"

Nick turned to him as well, a little confused.

"What now, Saiki-kun?"

"There might be a way to reach Yuki-chan," the younger prince mumbled, casting his glance towards the corrupted black witch, grimacing. "But convincing her will be an entirely different situation..."

"...Huh?"

"Forget it... But remember, injure her in this form, and you'll injure her period. It's not like that last cursed form she took, where most of the damage was swallowed up by dark energy, Yuki-chan's body is still the vessel... So killing her would..."

"I know, I know..."

Saiki smiled sadly at him, sighing.

"Just don't get _yourself_ killed, alright?"

"I'll keep that in mind, Saiki-kun."

With that, Nick locked eyes with his sister and snapped up when she charged, a dark energy sword forming in his hands that he quickly blocked with Sekai no Hikari.

He pushed her back, sighing heavily.

_Saiki-kun is right about one thing... If I hurt Yuki-chan..._

Nick flinched, quickly brushing away the thought.

_I have to reach her soon... and fast._

He perked up when Yuki straightened her posture, huffing as she spoke in a slightly distorted voice,

"Are you holding back, Nick-kun?"

_...Say what?_

Nick's eyes widened in pure surprise as Yuki's corrupted form faded, reverting back to her usual self, smiling at him with those familiar and sparkling chocolate brown eyes.

It was there that the green witch's mind went blank.

_Yuki-chan..._

"What's the matter, Nick-kun?" Yuki asked with a giggle, walking up to him, swinging the dark sword as she went. "You're surprised? I have free will you know..."

She stopped so that their faces were inches apart, and smiled innocently.

"Are you surprised?"

Nick's eyes widened, and he gulped, fighting back the urge to touch his sister's cheek.

_She looks so... fragile._

His attention was snapped when he felt a harsh impact in his side, sending him crashing into the ground, clutching where he'd been hit.

"IDIOT!!" Saiki exclaimed, almost exasperated. "You can't lose your focus like that!!"

He stopped when he noticed Yuki stared at him, almost pleading.

"Saiki-kun..." she whispered carefully, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Yuki-chan... Mind if I ask why?"

Her eyes jolted wide and she turned back towards her fallen brother, biting her lower lip.

"You know Nick-kun, you really need to work on your reflexes."

Nick slowly got up, a little shaken up.

_I wasn't expecting her to revert back to normal so quickly... But seriously... How was I supposed to see THAT coming?!_

He blocked another hit, gulping.

"Y-Yuki-chan!!"

"You're so hesitant all of a sudden," she noted, almost surprised. "Is it that hard to fight me when I'm like this?"

Her eyes turned red, making him flinch.

"If I go back to that corrupted form of mine... Will you stop holding back?"

"Yuki-chan... Why...?"

Her eyes returned to their normal shade as she huffed, a bit annoyed.

"I told you... I have a promise to keep... and you're not going to get in my way."

Saiki gulped at that.

_I never thought she would switch forms so easily like that... How could she maintain that kind of power? Such mysteries..._

He quickly shook his head, groaning.

_But this isn't the time for that!! I need to extract that power while she's temporarily normal... But... That.... That would mean..._

He snapped up when he noticed an eerie dark blood red aura surrounding his girlfriend, making his eyes jolt wide.

_Too late..._

"If you won't take me seriously normally," she began, morphing back into the Angel of Dusk, her aura becoming fiercer. "Then I'll fight you like this instead."

Nick just stood there, not quite believing.

_She's completely aware of what she's doing..._

The thought made his eyes go blank.

_So what she said earlier was true..._

Saiki groaned at the way this battle was going and lifted his hands.

"I have to do EVERYTHING myself these days when it comes to these two..."

_Of course... Doing something like this... Why not? Maybe it'll be a little easy... No, no. It's definitely going to be the hardest one yet. Whatever._

Nick only watched as his sister prepared her sword, frowning deeply. His grip tightened on Sekai no Hikari.

_Yuki-chan..._

"_Kurai Kairai."_ Saiki muttered darkly under his breath, dark strings leaking from his fingertips, linking up to the green witch's limbs, though he had yet to notice.

_Nick-kun's going to kill me for this... But I'm not going to stand by and let Yuki-chan hurt herself like this._

The black witch soon charged and swung and Nick stood his ground, only to turn shocked when he was yanked out of the way, swinging Sekai no Hikari hard against the dark sword, forcing his sister back, his eyes widening.

_What just..._

He soon realized what was going on, and turned furious beyond belief.

"SAIKI-KUN, WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Shut up and go along with it," the younger prince growled, straightening his fingers, making the green witch step forward.

_I swear to God... I am going to kill him when this is over... That is a promise... Friend or not, he's going too far with this._

He perked up when Yuki turned to face him, grimacing a bit.

"Saiki-kun... That's unfair... And it hurts..."

Nick noticed Saiki flinch a bit at that, the dark strings wavering a bit.

_On second thought..._

"Saiki-kun, snap out of it," he groaned. "Your spell getting weak is not a good sign..."

Saiki perked up at this.

_Right... I only have the energy to keep up this one spell... Even though it's Yuki-chan... In technical terms..._

His fingers twitched, making Nick quickly block an attack by Yuki, earning a yelp.

"A-Are you sure you know what you're doing?!"

"Actually, yes," the wizard responded, a little surprised himself. "Just use your powers, alright, Nick-kun?"

Nick nodded, noticing Yuki chuckle, her voice dark.

"Was there a doubt, Nick-kun?"

Nick's eyes widened and he pushed her back, growling.

"Yuki-chan, this isn't funny!!"

"Of course it isn't," she sighed, making him flinch again.

"Yuki...chan..."

"Enough talk," Yuki suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind him, severing the dark strings, surprising her brother.

_Ah!!_

Quickly, he checked on Saiki, only for his eyes to widen upon seeing the young prince trembling like a leaf, his face flushed as he breathed deeply, like all the air was sucked out of him.

"Oi, Saiki-kun! You alright?"

"N-No..." His volume was barely above a whisper. "That energy, Yuki-chan... It's too...much..."

He collapsed, passed out, further shocking Nick.

"S-Saiki-kun..."

"Stupid, stupid, stupid Saiki-kun..."

Nick perked up only to see his sister shivering, her dark navy-colored eyes flashing as her fists clenched.

"Getting involved like this without really breaking his promise... Stupid..."

"Yuki-chan...?" he began carefully, only to turned shocked at the pure hatred in those navy eyes of hers.

"You're the only thing in my way. I don't like that."

Her sword seemed to increase in dark energy as she charged, knocking her brother open and slashing open his arm, making in yelp in pain, holding where he'd been struck, blood trickling from the open wound.

"Get out of my way."

He winced, looking up at his sister's cold face, how her lips were pointed into a frown.

"Stay out of my way."

She pushed him back down with the flat side of her blade, her brother's wide eyes still watching, observing...checking.

Yuki sank her blade tighter against Nick's arm, cutting through his skin like a paper cut.

"Why are you in my way, Nick-kun?"

Nick winced at that, and sighed.

"Well... I can't let anything happen to you, Yuki-chan... You know that."

Yuki's expression turned rueful.

"If you really cared about me..." she raised her sword, bringing it down on him again with the flat side, deepening the cut. "Then you would LET me do this."

"I can't let anyone hurt you, Yuki-chan," her brother responded simply, still not moving from his helpless position. "That includes yourself."

Yuki's frown deepened, and she positioned her sword so it was pointed at his neck.

"I hate you."

Nick's eyes jolted wide at that and he winced, shivering a bit. Yuki noticed, and continued.

"You're always between me and Saiki-kun, and I don't like that, Nick-kun. Let's get things straight, we are no longer brother and sister, we're strangers. You broke off our bond the second you went and married Momo-chan... As a result, I don't mind killing you, really..."

"That's not true..." he whispered softly, his voice shaking. Yuki smirked, her sword grazing her neck, nearly making him choke as blood filled the line.

"There is only one thing I care about right now and it's not you."

She nudged him with the blade, and he slowly stood up, his hair hiding his eyes.

"You have to understand Nick-kun, when Saiki-kun's in pain, I'm in pain... It's not the same with you... That's why I made up my mind!!"

She readied her shadow sword, growling.

"I can't let you stop me, Nick-kun!! No one's going to be in my way anymore... All that matters is our happiness... And I don't care what I have to do or who I have to kill to get it!!"

Yuki perked up when he dropped the Sekai no Hikari, still standing numbly there.

"...Aren't you going to fight back? If not... Everyone's going to die... I'll make sure of it..."

"Yuki-chan..." His voice was empty, cold, and_ meaningless_. He faced her, ruefully smiling, surprising her.

"Nick...?"

"You've left me with nothing to fight for," he whispered quietly and gently, making her eyes snap wide.

She reverted back to her old self at this, her brown eyes still wide with shock.

"Nothing...?"

Nick just nodded, huffing. "I'm tired and I'm sick of it... I don't care about it anymore, Yuki-chan... I really don't. Go ahead and kill me... Be happy for once... Let Saiki-kun do what I never could."

"DON'T TALK LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!!" she screamed, knocking them down with her blade, growling. "If you give up now, everyone is going to DIE!! Momo-chan, dead!! Sakura-chan, dead!! Everyone, dead, dead, DEAD!!"

He wiped the blood from his lips, still blank as she continued.

"I'll still have Saiki-kun, but what about you?! EVERYONE YOU LOVE WILL DIE, NICK-KUN!!!!"

"...So?"

"SO?!" The black witch swung the dark sword, slashing through fabric and flesh, blood streaming down her brother's arm, though he paid no notice. "What do you mean 'so'?!"

No response, she dropped her sword, still in disbelief.

"...You're horrible. I can't believe you..."

Nick perked up as she walked over towards the still unconscious Saiki, hoisting him up, surprising him a bit.

"I'll take what I want and leave," she stated, her Angel of Dusk form taking over, her two wings spreading out as she pressed the black witch closer towards her. "Come back when you learn how to fight properly, Nick-kun."

And just like that, his sister and the fallen night elemental had vanished in a flurry of pure black feathers.

Nick slowly blinked, processing what just happened and his fists tightened.

_What was I supposed to do...?_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick just stood there, unable to believe what his own sister had just said to him, corrupted or not.

"_You're horrible. I can't believe you..."_

"_You're always between me and Saiki-kun, and I don't like that, Nick-kun. Let's get things straight, we are no longer brother and sister, we're strangers. You broke off our bond the second you went and married Momo-chan... As a result, I don't mind killing you, really..."_

"_There is only one thing I care about right now and it's not you."_

"_I hate you."_

"Why...? Why would she do that to me?" Nick asked nobody in particular. He felt like he was going to go crazy.

"NICK!!!!"

"OTOU-SAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

Nick looked up at this, and noticed that Momoko, Senna, and the kids had somehow made their way into the central core.

"Jeez, Nick-kun, what the hell happened in here?!" Senna exclaimed. "I sensed this massive aura and started wondering what was going on!! Did you manage to get Yuki-chan back?"

Nick's eyes began filling with tears at that statement, surprising Senna. "Whoa!! Did I say something wrong?"

Momoko, walking up to her husband, bent down to gently hug him, hoping that whatever had just happened wouldn't escalate into anything worse. "Nick? Sweetie, what happened?"

Nick's voice was barely above a whisper.

"She wants nothing to do with me anymore."

"What?" Sakura asked. "Where's Auntie Yuki?"

And with that, Nick couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears. Momoko held him close, trying to get him to calm down.

"It... it happened, didn't it?" Mana asked. "The Angel of Dusk overwhelmed her?"

"I can't believe she would say something like that to me," Nick responded, trying not to make too much of a scene. "She... she said she hated me... she said our bond had been broken when Momoko and I got married... she knows damn well..."

Nick just continued to sob into Momoko's shoulders, unsure of how much more he'd be able to take.

"Wait. Where's otou-san?" Satoshi noticed.

"Yuki-chan took him," Nick quipped. "I honestly have no idea what the hell to do anymore... my sister said she hates me... that I'm the one who broke our bond... and she knows damn well that I'd NEVER break the bond we share... SO WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!!"

The force of this outburst caused everyone present to snap backwards. They'd never seen Nick getting angry like this before.

"It's okay, Nick-kun... we'll get Yuki-chan back somehow. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love..." Senna stated, moving to rest her hand on Nick's shoulder.

Surprisingly, Nick slapped Senna's hand away.

"HOW COULD YOU EVER UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH?!!" Nick screamed, causing Senna to take a couple of steps backwards. "Listen. You all know damn well that I've had Yuki-chan by my side for as long as I can possibly remember. You have NO DAMN IDEA how it feels to lose a bond like the one I have with Yuki-chan!! HOW IN THE HELL COULD YOU EVER UNDERSTAND THAT?!!"

Once Nick was done with his outburst, Senna looked like she was about to cry.

At this sight, Nick's anger seemed to instantly fade away. Hardly believing what he'd just said, Nick walked up and threw his arms around Senna. "Senna-chan... I'm so sorry... This has never happened to me before... and I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do here... I don't want to lose Yuki-chan... I really don't..."

"I don't want to lose her, either, Nick-kun," Senna responded. "But you've gotta understand that Yuki-chan's always been overdramatic about stuff..."

"The way she said it... she sounded like she meant it..." Nick noted.

"Nick, listen to me, okay?" Momoko stated, walking up to her husband. "Just like with what she has with Saiki-kun, you and Yuki-chan have something that I could never have with you... something that, no matter what she says to you, can NEVER be broken. You two need each other, Nick. And you know it."

"But she's convinced that she doesn't need me," Nick responded. "How are we going to convince her?"

"I honestly have no clue," Sakura stated. "But we've got to try. I'm not leaving Auntie Yuki behind."

"I just want to see a smile on okaa-chan's face again... I want her to go back to herself..." Mana stated, about to cry herself.

"You and me both, Mana-chan," Satoshi responded, wrapping his arms around his sister.

"So, we've gotta find her and put an end to this madness," Nick proclaimed. "I just want Yuki-chan back."

The others simply nodded, silently showing that they would stand by Nick's side the entire way.

"All right. Now let's go find my sister."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Deeper into the central core, Nick and the gang were still walking, trying to find the possessed Yuki.

"Any luck, Nick-kun?" Senna asked.

"Nope. Nothing," Nick responded. "She shut off her aura again, so even I can't get a pinpoint on her."

"With the way she's possessed, I'm sure she'll find us," Satoshi quipped.

Almost as if on cue, a massive sphere of darkness thundered forward, crashing into the ground and scattering the entire group.

"She's here..." Sakura stated.

"I can see that..." Senna replied, sweatdropping.

Indeed, Yuki was floating there, still in her Angel of Dusk form.

"Well, well. The gang's all here. Are you ready to fight me properly, Nick-kun?" Yuki quipped.

"Auntie Yuki... please snap out of it... don't you see how you're hurting otou-san?" Sakura pleaded.

"I don't really care about him anymore," Yuki stated. "I told him that there's only one thing I care about now. And it isn't him."

"THAT DOES IT!!!!" Nick screamed, brandishing Hanyou Hikari and bringing it into a fighting stance.

"I don't care if you're my sister. I am officially through holding back. What the hell do I have to do to get it through to you that I would NEVER break our bond?!" Nick exclaimed, already completely beyond his limits.

"It's too late for that," Yuki responded, and that seemed to be it for Nick, who let out a roar and charged for Yuki.

Yuki just smirked and formed her energy sword, swinging it just in time to meet with Nick's weapon.

The others could only watch as Nick and Yuki made passes at each other, weapons clashing on every pass.

Yuki brought her hands above her head and began to channel dark energy.

Nick just held Hanyou Hikari in front of him, ready for whatever Yuki was going to pull.

All of a sudden, Yuki phased out, leaving Nick to wonder where she'd went.

Before Nick could get his bearings, Yuki reappeared behind him.

"_MAKURAYAMI!!!"_ the black witch called out, striking Nick in the back with a massive sphere of dark energy.

Nick couldn't get his guard up in time, and was subsequently blown a few feet away by the attack.

It was at this time that Akemi, Moriko, and Kurumi appeared to the others, Nick and Yuki completely oblivious to this as they continued to do battle.

"Sorry we're late," Akemi stated. "What did we miss?"

"And WHY THE HELL IS NICK-KUN FIGHTING YUKI-CHAN?!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Long story, Moriko-chan," Momoko commented. "Don't really have time to tell it."

"I just hope they'll be all right," Kurumi stated.

Nick then noticed the others. "Girls?"

Yuki took advantage of this moment of distraction to slash Nick across the arm.

"Why do they ALWAYS go for the arm first?" Nick groaned.

Nick made it a point to start backflipping away, as Yuki had started firing countless Makurayami spells at him.

A rather close call had almost struck the rest of the group.

"DAMN IT, NICK-KUN, STOP CUTTING IT SO CLOSE!!!" Moriko exclaimed.

Nick simply waved her off. "Don't have time for this right now, Mori-chan!!"

That only seemed to make the jade witch angrier.

"Come on, Yuki-chan... don't do this..." Nick stated softly.

"Stupid boy," Yuki commented. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

To the great shock of the others, Nick reached out and grabbed Yuki by her shirt collar, forcing her close to him.

"LISTEN TO ME, YUKI-CHAN!!!" Nick screamed, his voice starting to go hoarse from his anger. "What do I have to do to get through to you?!"

Yuki just smirked. "I told you, I don't have time for you. You're in my way, and if you don't get out of my way, I'll kill you."

Nick's expression turned emotionless for a second. "So I really don't mean anything to you anymore, huh?"

Yuki grinned evilly. "Nope."

"Fine, then."

With absolutely no warning, Nick spun around and threw Yuki right into the wall, though this didn't seem to faze her.

"I'm through with it. I'm not holding back, even if you are my sister."

"Didn't I tell you that you're no longer my brother, you heartless bastard?!" Yuki shot back.

This greatly surprised Akemi, Moriko, and Kurumi.

"Did... did Yuki-chan..." Akemi asked.

"...just say..." Moriko continued.

"...what I thought she said?" Kurumi finished.

"Just listen to me and get this through your thick head, Yuki-chan!!" Nick responded. "You'll ALWAYS be someone precious to me!! Don't you remember what I said to you before we went to the chapel?!"

Yuki turned a bit surprised as that memory came rushing back to her.

_Then, completely surprising Yuki, Nick reached out and pulled his little sister into a hug._

_"Why so affectionate all of a sudden, Nick-kun?"_

_"I just wanted you to know, Yuki-chan... no matter where life takes both of us... I love you, Yuki-chan. I always will. You're someone precious to me, and you always will be."_

_Yuki sighed happily, returning her brother's embrace. "Aw... I love you, too, Nick-kun."_

_"Now do you understand why I'm so dead-set on protecting you, Yuki-chan? You're so precious to me..."_

_"I know, Nick-kun."_

Quickly shaking it off, Yuki turned her attention back to Nick. "I don't care about memories like those anymore. I told you, Saiki-kun's the only person I care about now. No one, ESPECIALLY not you, will stand in the way of my happiness."

Yuki shifted into a fighting stance. "So you can go to hell."

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Moriko exclaimed. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SAYING?!!"

Nick just shook his head. "You know what? To hell with this."

Everyone, even Yuki, perked up at this statement.

"If I really don't mean anything to you anymore, Yuki-chan, then that means I can stop holding back."

Yuki looked a little surprised again. "You were STILL holding back on me?!"

"Yes, I was. But not anymore," Nick commented, holding out his free hand just as Yuki began charging towards him.

"_Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!! Freeze, you!!"_

This spell instantly froze Yuki in her place. Nick pointed Hanyou Hikari at Yuki before rushing forward.

"He isn't..." Mana wondered.

"He wouldn't!!" Kurumi exclaimed.

"You wouldn't dare, Nick-kun!!" Moriko screamed.

After a bit of running, Nick leapt towards Yuki, Hanyou Hikari behind him.

All of a sudden, Yuki seemed to revert back to normal.

"NICK-KUN, NO!!!"

Nick didn't notice this, having already been blinded by his rage.

"You know, I never thought I'd be saying this to my own sister, but..."

Nick gripped Hanyou Hikari tightly, ready to strike the finishing blow.

"NICK-KUN, PLEASE DON'T!!!"

"SAY YOUR PRAYERS!!!"


	3. Act 3: The Eye of the Beholder

Act 3: The Eye of the Beholder

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"_MAKURAYAMI!!"_

A dark shield sprung up, blocking the hit of Nick's weapon before glowing and shoving him back, making Yuki open her tightly shut eyes in confusion, blinking.

_Wha...?_

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Senna exclaimed, relieved that the black witch was alright.

"You know Nick-kun, you really are an idiot..."

Nick's eyes jolted wide as he stared up at the owner of the voice, and without a doubt, Saiki walked up, his arms folded.

"Like I've said Nick-kun over a thousand times, you need to learn patience... But I guess you're just a hundred years too young to realize such things..."

"Dad!!!" Satoshi and Mana exclaimed at the same time, relieved. "He's okay!!"

"Saiki-kun..." Yuki whispered as he stood in front of her, between her and her brother, as if she needed to be shielded.

Nick blinked, the situation making a whole lot more sense if the two's positions were switched.

"Nick-kun..." the younger prince began in a stern voice, snapping him out of his reverie. "_What_ were you trying to pull?"

The green witch stood his ground, growling.

"What did it look like Saiki-kun? She did say I meant nothing towards her, so..."

"_So_?" he repeated, cutting him off. "That gives you no right to do such a thing."

"Saiki-kun..." Yuki started in a pleading voice, tugging against the effects of her brother's spell. "Let it go... Stop... Don't bother with him..."

"Yuki-chan..." Momoko started while Saiki sighed, lightly touching her cheek, making Nick shudder.

_How come he can still touch her...?_

"What a troublesome girl you are," the black-haired wizard muttered softly before turning back to Nick, taking slight notice of his fists shaking.

_Ah..._

"Nick-kun, were you aware of what just happened?"

Nick's frown darkened at that.

"What do you know, Saiki-kun? You finally got what you wanted... She's all yours."

Saiki paused at that, carefully thinking it over.

"Huh... I guess you're right for once, Nick-kun."

Nick gritted his teeth at that but Saiki continued, his voice still irritatingly calm as usual.

"But think. Do you really believe I'll allow you to hurt her despite what she's said?"

"Of course not," the green witch muttered darkly, readying Hanyou Hikari. "Of course, killing _you_, Saiki-kun... Maybe _that_ will be the only thing that'll reach her."

Saiki took caution at the threat and Yuki turned horrified.

"IF YOU LAY A FINGER ON MY SAIKI-KUN, YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD, I SWEAR TO GOD!!!!"

"Nick-kun, you _wouldn't_," Kurumi growled, her fists clenched.

"If you would just talk it out without getting angry at someone who's only trying to help you..." Saiki began in a quiet voice, making Nick charge headlong into a flashback of the last time the two of them had gotten into a fight, right before he lost it.

_He said the exact same thing before..._

He gritted his teeth, his anger growing.

"Saiki-kun..."

Saiki frowned at that, turning a bit remorseful.

"Nick-kun..."

Nick's grip tightened on Hanyou Hikari and he prepared to charge.

"Please.... Don't..."

Those words hit him like a ton of bricks and he froze.

_Wha...?_

Nick blinked and turned shocked when he spotted the expression on his sister's face as her eyes glimmered, tears forming at the edges.

_So fragile looking..._

"Please don't..." she gasped, choking back a sob. "Don't... Don't destroy the only good thing I have left... Don't take my Saiki-kun away... Please..."

"Yuki-chan..." Saiki started with a sigh, momentarily glancing at her before turning his expectant gaze towards Nick, who froze.

_For a fraction of a second... I wanted him to die... He was the reason Yuki-chan's like this, right? It..._

Nick's eyes widened, finally understanding.

_It's all his _fault_._

The realization doubled his hatred and paying no attention to his sister's pleading, he charged and swung Hanyou Hikari, though Saiki quickly caught it before it reached his throat.

"SAIKI-KUN!!!" Yuki screamed, her eyes wide in horror at the sight of the blood splashed in Saiki's hand where the sword cut into his palm and fingers, making him wince a bit.

"Nick-kun..." he growled lightly, meeting Nick's furious, hate-filled brown eyes, and his voice grew quiet. "You finally noticed, huh?"

"Saiki-kun..." Yuki gasped, desperately, thrashing about. "You... You jerk!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!!!"

"Not a chance, Yuki-chan," Nick huffed, pressing Hanyou Hikari deeper, Saiki wincing, still not completely healed from the aftereffects of his last Kurai Kairai.

"Nick..." Momoko began while Sakura stared on in disbelief.

"Otou-san..."

"Déjà vu." Mana stated shakily, her voice trembling. "I remember this happening..."

"The same thing never happens twice, right?" Satoshi wondered, holding his sister back. "Yuki-chan..."

"What is he doing...?!" Moriko wondered helplessly, her fists shaking as she was on the verge of losing it. "I-I thought those two were _friends_ now!!"

Akemi bit her lip to muffle the sobs, grabbing hopelessly onto the jade witch's hand, searching for some sort of comfort.

Moriko's eyes jolted wide, and she stroked her friend's hand, sighing.

_Hopefully... It won't turn out the way Akemi-chan fears it will..._

Kurumi shivered, just watching in horror, her feet frozen to the ground.

_Yuki-chan... How much of this will she have to see?_

"D-Don't do it!!" Senna yelped, torn. "Don't hurt Yuki-chan like that!! NICK!!!"

Nick twisted his sword in Saiki's gasp, earning him to wince again, the blood on his hands smearing.

"If you're going to kill me..." The night elemental's voice was strained, from the pain nevertheless, but firm. "Think about who you're really hurting..."

Nick casted a glance towards his sister and perked up. Yuki was nearly in hysterics, trembling like a leaf, her eyes wide and frightened of _him_, staring at him like he was already looming over Saiki's lifeless body, laughing crudely at his death... Like...

Like he was some sort of killer.

_No, not just some sort of killer,_ he mentally noted, a bit blank. _She's looking at me like I'm a monster...like I'm slowly ripping away all that she loves and cares about...right in front of her very eyes._

_...Isn't that what I'm doing right now?_

Nick looked towards Saiki's pained look, still focused on the blade in his hand, a little anxious about the loss of blood.

The second he dropped Hanyou Hikari, Saiki released as well, looking down calmly at his bloodied hands, frowning at the crimson pulsing from the scraps and cuts.

"S-Saiki-kun..." Yuki squeaked, the spell on her fading, leaving her trembling like she was having a seizure. "A-All that blood..."

She glared at her brother, looking not only angry, but betrayed.

"How..." she drawled on, her voice murderous. "How could you?"

Nick bit his lip, fighting back what he wanted so badly to say.

_It's his fault you're like this!! If he weren't around... If he was dead... This wouldn't be happening right now!!_

Yuki gripped her boyfriend's arm, though he didn't react, his eyes still on the blood, like he was fascinated with the sight of it.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you, rip you apart limb by limb, give me one good reason NOT to brutalize your body so badly that it'll look like something ripped out of a horror movie!!" she screamed, that crimson aura sprouting around her, making her momentarily switch back to the Angel of Dusk, making him back up in fear a bit.

Saiki perked up at this, and sighed heavily.

"Stop it, Yuki-chan."

And just like that, the plug was pulled.

Nick's eyes widened as Yuki's anger morphed to devastation and she reverted back to her old self, her desperate grip on the night elemental's arm almost bone-crushing.

"B-B-But... He hurt you, Saiki-kun..."

"I don't care," Saiki simply responded, reminding Nick of what he said to her earlier. "Cut it out,"

Tears welled up in her brown eyes and she just sobbed against his shoulder, her fingers desperately locked into the fabric of his shirt, making Nick's eyes widen.

_And again... She looks so fragile..._

He didn't realize a hand was reaching to stoke her hand in comfort until he felt Saiki's own hand gently press it down, him being oh so aware of the blood that was still dripping from his palm.

"You've done enough, Nick-kun."

Nick backed away, reluctantly, not daring to meet Saiki's eyes, but kept his gaze on his sister as the night elemental gently placed an arm around her shoulders, his fists clenched to push back the blood and prevent it from touching Yuki.

"Come on... Quit crying, Yuki-chan..."

The green witch blinked as his little sister whimpered, her grip tightening.

"I-I hate him..."

Nick's eyes went blank again and Saiki casted his gaze towards his girlfriend's older brother, biting his lip.

"That's not true and you know it."

The green witch jolted up at that, shuddering.

_It's his fault... and he knows that... He's always known... And he knows..._

His breath hitched and he looked down, feeling numb all over again.

_He knows it isn't enough if I just forgive him._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"I... I need to leave," Yuki stated shakingly, not hesitating to disappear in a shower of black feathers.

For a couple minutes, the battlefield was completely silent. No one, not even Saiki, spoke as they tried to figure out what just happened.

Over time, the wound Saiki had taken was slowly but surely beginning to heal thanks to the power of night.

"You okay, otou-chan?" Mana asked, rushing over to her father. "Do you want me to slap jii-chan?"

"That won't be necessary, Mana-chan," Saiki stated. "The last thing Nick-kun needs right now is someone causing him more pain."

Nick shivered angrily at this, though this went unnoticed by Saiki.

"Okay. Let's just give jii-chan some time to calm down," Mana giggled...

...only for an extremely enraged Nick to rush right at Saiki and deliver a mighty slash to the night elemental, who just barely dodged.

"You want me to slap him NOW?" Mana asked, a little peeved.

"Nick-kun, what the _hell_?!" Saiki exclaimed.

Nick only said five words.

"This is all your fault."

Saiki looked a little confused at this, the sight only seeming to make Nick angrier.

"My fault? What?"

"Oh, come off it," Nick shot back, angrily swinging his weapon. "You know damn well why my sister's like this. It's all because of _you_. You remember what I told you before we came to the central core? I told you that I don't EVER want to lose a bond like the one I have with Yuki-chan or the one you had with your brother. But when we finally find Yuki-chan, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK HAPPENS?!"

"Nick-kun, please calm down... I just want to talk things out here..." Saiki pleaded, only to be met with another slash from Hanyou Hikari.

"No. Quite frankly, I'm done talking. I'm absolutely sick of you now. You got what you wanted, RIGHT? She's all yours. Someone who means the world to me is now completely yours. It's all because of you."

Nick growled. "This is all your fault," he repeated.

This seemed to make Saiki angry, too. "What did you just say to me?"

"Oh, you didn't hear me? Then let me elaborate so you'll LISTEN to me for once," Nick shot back.

Nick wasted no time in transforming his weapon into Sekai no Hikari, surprisingly, without the activation command.

"I'll say this only one more time, Saiki-kun, so you'd better listen good."

Nick angrily swung his weapon before beginning an all-out rush towards Saiki.

"This... is all... YOUR FAULT!!!!"

"Fine, then," Saiki growled. _"MAKURAYAMI!!!"_

Saiki was quite surprised to see Nick easily cut through the spell with one stroke from Sekai no Hikari.

"Listen, Nick-kun, it's not my fault!! Don't tell me you can't see that!!" Saiki screamed, retaliating with a spread of dark energy shots that Nick easily dodged.

"Of COURSE it's your fault!!" Nick shot back. "Don't give me that crock!! It's YOUR FAULT my sister's even like this!!!"

"I'll admit I did promise to keep her promise a secret, but I had no idea it was going to escalate to something like this!!!" Saiki responded, shielding himself with darkness.

"You're lying again!! That's ALL you do!!" Nick screamed, raising Sekai no Hikari and then bringing it down, easily cutting through the dark shield.

"Oh, no... not again..." Senna stated, looking like she was about to burst into a crying fit.

"My sister, someone who I love more than anything, just told me that she absolutely HATES me!! HOW COULD YOU EVER UNDERSTAND HOW THAT MAKES ME FEEL?!!" Nick exclaimed, charging up his next attack.

"_RAINBOW WAVE!!!!"_

Nick struck the ground with Sekai no Hikari, and this created a massive tornado of rainbow energy that brutally slammed Saiki into the walls of the central core.

"You've gotten substantially stronger, haven't you, Nick-kun?" Saiki commented, still shivering from the damage he'd taken. "If you weren't trying to kill me right now, I'd almost be impressed."

"Stop lying to me, Saiki-kun," Nick growled. "I am so sick and tired of your damn lies!!!"

Not wasting any time, Nick charged forward again, the blade of his weapon glowing.

"Nick-jii-chan, DON'T!!! DON'T HURT OTOU-CHAN!!!" Mana exclaimed, tears streaming from her eyes.

Ignoring Mana's proclamation, Nick brought Sekai no Hikari behind him.

"_RAINBOW STRIKE!!!"_

Nick struck multiple times with his glowing blade, each strike leaving a rainbow trail behind it as each successive strike tore into Saiki and caused massive damage.

Nick finished the attack with a horizontal swipe that knocked a badly damaged Saiki straight to the ground of the central core.

"Nick, please!! He's already hurt enough!!" Momoko exclaimed, hoping to snap her husband out of his rage.

"No can do, Momoko," Nick stated in a surprisingly calm voice. "I need to teach this little son of a bitch a lesson about what it means to break up a family."

"I-impressive, Nick-kun," Saiki stated, struggling against the immense damage he'd taken. "But I've still got a few tricks of my own."

Saiki, miraculously, stood to his feet and held his hands towards the rampaging Nick.

"_Kurai Kairai!!"_

The dark strings shot from Saiki's hands and ensnared Nick, rendering him unable to move.

"As long as I have this dark energy running through me, you won't be able to break out of this, Nick-kun," Saiki growled. "Get it through your thick head that I'm not lying to you!!!"

Nick struggled valiantly against the dark threads, but to no avail. "You're lying. All you ever DO is lie. You've never trusted me. Not even from the beginning."

Saiki just smirked, but his smirk changed to a gasp of shock when he saw Nick break free of the Kurai Kairai spell and rush at him.

Saiki, in his surprise, couldn't react in time, and was downed in one strike.

Saiki looked upwards as Nick hovered over him.

"Et tu, Nick-kun?" Saiki groaned before being picked up by the collar and slammed against the wall, only adding to his injuries.

"Don't give me any more of your lies," Nick growled. "I've had just about all I can stand."

Nick spun Sekai no Hikari in his free hand, making it very obvious what he was about to do. The others screamed at him to stop, but to no avail.

"When I found out about your little promise, you broke my last nerve, Saiki-kun. That's when I realized that all of this is your fault."

"My fault?" Saiki retaliated. "You were the one trying to kill the one person who's precious to me. What does THAT tell you, huh?"

"Do you think I WANTED to do that?!" Nick shot back, tears streaming from his own eyes. "I was just trying to get through to Yuki-chan!! You know how stubborn she can be!!"

"And just whose fault is THAT?" Saiki noted, making Nick slam him against the wall again.

"Stop talking to me, Saiki-kun," Nick growled. "This is the last straw. I'm done with you."

Nick slowly brought Sekai no Hikari back, ignoring the cries of his friends.

"This is all your fault. And now, you're going to pay."

Saiki just smirked.

"Say your prayers while you have the chance. Because I'm done. I'm just done."

Saiki looked up at Nick.

"I'm about done with you, too."

"That's all you want to say?"

"Pretty much."

"Very well."

Sekai no Hikari began glowing with a dark red light, and Nick drew it just a little further back and aimed for Saiki's heart, ready to strike the blow that would end it all.

"He WOULDN'T!!!" Akemi exclaimed.

"He would..." Kurumi stated softly. "Why, Nick-kun?"

Nick's smirk doubled.

"Sweet dreams, Saiki."

And with that, Nick thrust Sekai no Hikari forward...

...and there was a spray of blood.

The others looked shocked for a few seconds.

Saiki, out of curiosity, looked downwards, expecting, in his dying breaths, to see Nick's weapon stabbing him right through the heart...

...but he saw nothing.

No blood coming from him, no open wound, nothing.

And he felt perfectly fine. His wounds were even slowly beginning to heal.

So why did he see blood just now?

Looking up, he saw something that just horrified him.

Nick was the one who had been attacked, Yuki's energy sword piercing right through his chest.

"Oops," Yuki stated, still in her Angel of Dusk form. "Looks like I missed the heart."

Nick dropped his weapon, which instantly reverted back to his wand. He struggled against the energy sword, trying to make sure it didn't shred him up any worse, but it didn't seem to be working.

"Ah, no worries," Yuki stated, shrugging her shoulders before harshly retracting her energy sword, only causing more damage to Nick. "This time, I won't miss."

Yuki spun Nick around, and grabbed him by the shirt collar. Dispelling her energy sword for a second, she held her free hand towards Saiki.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

In an instant, Saiki's wounds had been completely healed.

"There you go," Yuki stated. "Once I finish this boy off, there will be nothing to stop us from being together. Not a damn thing."

Creating an energy sword again, Yuki aimed right at Nick's heart, just like he had done to Saiki earlier.

_Isn't this the final irony, huh?_ Nick thought, just waiting for the last blow, too weak do to anything more. _Murdered by my own sister..._

"These will be the last words you'll hear," Yuki growled.

_Yuki-chan... if the you I love is still in there somewhere, please hear me out..._

Before Nick could complete his train of thought, Yuki struck again.

"YUKI-CHAN, NO!!!"

This simple statement caused Yuki to hesitate for a second, though the blade had still pierced Nick, having stopped dangerously close to his heart.

"Stop trying to distract me!!!" Yuki exclaimed, concentrating and shooting a pulse wave that knocked the others down.

"WHAT THE HELL, YUKI-CHAN?!!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Yuki-chan... no..." Momoko squeaked, unable to believe what Yuki was about to do.

Yuki grinned.

"Au revoir, Nick-kun."

And with that, Yuki pushed the sword in, and Nick lurched forward, screaming in agony.

Nick, who was pretty sure he was as good as dead, saw his life flashing before his eyes.

_Yuki-chan, if the you I love is still there... just remember that..._

Nick's eyes snapped shut as the pain became too much to handle.

_Just remember... that... I love you, Yuki-chan..._

And with that final thought, Nick fell into unconsciousness and Yuki flung him aside.

"Aw, I missed again," Yuki groaned. "He's not dead, but maybe now he'll learn his lesson and stay the hell away from me."

And with that, Yuki vanished again.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Saiki blinked slowly and winced, feeling a bit tired from the effects of the soten kisshun.

_What just...happened?_

His eyes scanned the area as he slowly got to his feet.

_The last thing I heard was..._

His eyes jolted wide, and he snapped up, horrified.

_Nick-kun screaming..._

He quickly looked around, his expression fading from urgency to shock at the sight of Nick's disposed body, blood streaming from his wounds.

_No..._

Saiki quickly got to his feet, his eyes glimmering.

_His heartbeat... It's getting more and more faint..._

His eyelids lowered as he grimaced, his fists tightening.

_But..._

"_This is all your fault."_

_Then again..._

He huffed, tensing up.

_Why should I save him when he almost killed me? It would have to be the stupidest mistake I ever made in my life... He brought this on himself, anyway... Choosing to blame me for everything..._

His glare sharpened.

_Nick-kun always was an idiot._

"_You're lying. All you ever DO is lie. You've never trusted me. Not even from the beginning."_

_I DID trust him... at one point... And look where it got me?_

His fists tightened even more, shivering.

_Why, why, WHY did you have to let me go like that, onii-chan?! You said I'd be fine!! You said I'd be happy!! Look where I am now!!_

He shook his head, his eyes threatening to well up with tears as he quickly forced them back, choking a bit.

_This always happens... I'm always let down like this... Every time I try to get close to someone who isn't onii-chan, I always get hurt... Why do I bother trying? Why...?_

"_Saiki-kun..."_

Saiki snapped up, his eyes wide as he felt a flashback slowly sneak up on him, just closing his eyes in reminiscence.

"_I have made a discovery."_

_The night elemental blinked, staring at Yuki as she stammered, her face resembling a tomato from how hard she was blushing._

"_What discovery have you made, Yuki-chan?" he asked in a light voice, chuckling a bit while thinking 'she's too cute'._

"_I think I'm sick."_

"_Huh?" Saiki blinked again, a little confused before laughing. "No, no, Yuki-chan, you're perfectly healthy..."_

"_Lovesick!!" she amended, increasing his sweatdrop. "And it's really weird... Whenever I'm around Saiki-kun, I'm really happy, but my stomach starts doing flips and my face gets super hot!! I think I've caught lovesickness!!"_

'_Is this just a roundabout way of telling me she loves me?' The black-haired wizard wondered, blinking. 'She's always such a goof...'_

"_A-AND..." Yuki added, as if extra details would make her 'discovery' any easier to understand. "I've been feeling since way since The Kiss."_

"_Ah yes, the kiss," Saiki chuckled at remembering how he'd once kissed her while escorting her out of the Mahoutsukaikai castle, not knowing that it was the black witch's first kiss. "What of it, Yuki-chan?"_

"_Kiss me again."_

_His eyes jolted wide as she looked at him with dead seriousness and sincerity._

"_I love you, Saiki-kun," she whispered, shivering. "I don't think of you as my 'other big brother', I think of you as the love of my life, and I've thought of you that way for a long time now..."_

"_I love you too..." he responded quietly, though it felt like a lie. "But, Yuki-chan..."_

"_I know Nick-kun hates you, Saiki-kun, but I don't care!! I really don't!! I love you, I'm IN love with you, and there's nothing you OR Nick-kun can do about it, so please..."_

_She puckered her lips, desperate as she shut her eyes._

"_Kiss me... Just this once... I want to feel that wonderful feeling again... I want you to love me... I... I need it, Saiki-kun... Please pretend if you have to... Kiss me."_

"_I'm not pretending," he quipped before smiling. "I love you, Yuki-chan."_

_And she felt his lips touching her own and sighed, her arms wrapping around his neck to deepen the kiss._

'_Thank you.'_

Saiki blinked, snapping out of the memory and his mind finally made up, he walked up to Nick, raising his hands which began glowing a pure coal black.

"I REALLY ought to finish the job for Yuki-chan... After all, self-defense is justified, isn't it?"

"G-Get away from him!!" Sakura gasped, only to be blocked by Mana.

"Let otou-chan do what he wants, Sakura-chan."

"B-But..."

She was stopped when Mana pressed her finger to her lips, shushing her.

_Otou-san..._

"I really should kill you, Nick-kun," Saiki whispered, his voice shaking. "You'd deserve it, you dim-witted idiot."

"Otou-san..." Satoshi whispered, almost worried. "Please..."

"I really, really _should_ kill you..." the night elemental repeated coldly before he smiled, shaking his head. "...But I won't."

"_Makurayami!!"_

The second his spell hit, the blood stopped flowing, and Saiki sighed.

_Healing an injury like this completely... It would take a lot of energy... I guess it's a good thing Yuki-chan healed me... Though I much rather I just die than having to face this._

After a couple of moments, he stopped, letting out another heavy sigh.

_There... The rest of the necessary healing will come naturally... He lost a lot of blood, and his insides were a little torn up... But the dark magic applied will take care of all that over time..._

"Nick!!" Momoko exclaimed, quickly rushing to his side before, sighing in relief. "Saiki-kun... Thank you..."

Saiki opened his mouth to protest but stopped when the other girls rushed up, leaving his kids behind to take in what just happened.

"I can't believe my Yuki-chan would do such a thing," Senna moaned. "Something horrible, something EVIL must have possessed her!!"

"I'm a little angry that Nick-kun tried to kill Saiki-kun like that," Kurumi muttered darkly before frowning. "But I'm glad he's alright..."

"I-I'm glad too," Akemi whispered, whimpering a bit. "But seeing Yuki-chan like that... What could have happened?"

"I'm just glad otou-san's still alive..." Sakura murmured, gently touching the back of Nick's neck. "Thank goodness..."

Saiki casted a glance towards an unsure Satoshi and Mana and shook his head.

_Nick-kun's right... No matter HOW I look at this... It's my fault... If only I never met her... If only..._

His fists suddenly clenched.

_If only I was never born..._

Sighing, he turned heel, facing the darkness up ahead.

"Hey, Saiki-kun?" Senna wondered, perking up. "What are you doing?"

"Don't tell Nick-kun I did him that favor," Saiki growled before vanished completely, surprising them.

"O-OTOU-CHAN!!!" Mana exclaimed, surprised.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_I must be dying... Perhaps I'm dead right now..._

Nick's eyes fluttered as he found himself floating, perhaps teetering between life and death.

_Yuki-chan..._

"_Why'd you do it, Nick-kun?"_

The green witch perked up as he spun around, shocked.

"Yuki-chan...?"

Indeed it was his sister looking like her usual self, only her fists were clenched, and her brown eyes were dull and red, as if all she had been doing was crying.

"Why'd you kill Saiki-kun?" she asked softly, her voice breaking.

Nick's eyes jolted wide.

_Killed him...? Saiki's dead, too?_

He looked around desperately for the night elemental.

_I couldn't have... I mean, SURE I was angry... But killing Saiki-kun? I-I would never..._

"MURDERER!!!" his sister wailed, making him snap up in shock and horror. "You took away the only thing I loved!!"

"Yuki-chan, I didn't..."

"But you did," she hissed, her eyes still shining with tears. "Why'd you do it? He was only trying to help!!"

Huffing, she added, "Not that I wanted him to or anything..."

"Yuki-chan, I didn't mean to..." Nick began again before being cut off by her irrational screaming.

"YOU'RE A MONSTER, DON'T COME NEAR ME!!!"

He froze in place, the words stabbing through him like a knife.

"I HATE you," she yelled, every word further destroying him. "I wish you were never my brother, I wish you would DIE."

Nick just parted his lips as he stood there in horror.

"I... I didn't want to hurt him... Yuki-chan... I really didn't..."

"LIAR!!!" Yuki screamed before his eyes widened. "I HATE YOU!!!"

_No..._

And then, everything went white.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Saiki held his head as he continued walking, still a little torn.

_I don't know why I'm being so irrational all of a sudden; I guess Nick-kun's stupidity is rubbing off on me..._

At Nick's name he gritted his teeth, his fists clenching.

_The more I think about it, yes, the more it feels like my fault... But I never ASKED for any of this!! I thought he would realize it... I thought that..._

He frowned, his eyes downcast.

_I thought that we were friends... I guess this is what I get for handing over my trust to someone who wasn't onii-chan..._

His frown deepened at the image of his older brother, and found himself in yet another flashback to a certain morning where the first thing he was aware of was Akatsuki ruffling his hair, making his eyes flutter open in confusion...

"_Onii-chan? Morning..."_

"_Sorry it's so early, Saiki-kun," his brother whispered in a hushed voice, still fiddling with the magic-using wicks on his little brother's head._

_A deep red hue covered Saiki's cheeks as he looked up a bit warily, sighing._

"_What is it...?"_

"_I was just thinking..." he trailed off, reaching down to ruffle Saiki's hair again, making him flinch. "When we grow up and I become the king, Saiki-kun... What'll happen to you?"_

"_I won't be useful anymore," was the night elemental's simple reply as he yawned. "Easy as that... You won't need me, onii-chan."_

"_Oh, Saiki-kun, that's not true..." Akatsuki smiled sadly, shaking his head. "You'll always be someone special to me... After all, we're still brothers..."_

_Brothers... Saiki's lips twitched into a smile at that._

"_And maybe someday..." the older prince laughed, soothing his hair from his eyes. "Maybe I'll be the one no longer needed, Saiki-kun."_

"_What do you mean, onii-chan?"_

"_You'll understand when you're older, otouto-chan."_

_Saiki opened his mouth to protest but was stopped when he felt his brother's lips pressed against his forehead, making him yelp._

"_O-Onii-chan?!"_

"_For your sake as well as mine, Saiki-kun," he began darkly, smiling ruefully. "I hope that time never comes."_

"...Figures I wish the same exact thing," Saiki groaned to no one in particular, his cheeks still burning from the memory. "But I guess it was all just a pipe dream in the end, huh onii-chan?"

_I can only wish..._

Shrugging himself off, he continued forward, his lips pursed in thought.

_I don't know why I want to help Nick-kun like this... I should be angry at him... I should hate him..._

There was a moment of silence.

_But instead, I feel nothing of the sort. Instead, I just feel like a mess... What's wrong with me?_

"Saiki-kun?"

That light, familiar voice snapped Saiki out of his thoughts as he looked up, and sure enough there was his girlfriend standing there in her normal form, her brown eyes sparkling in confusion.

_She's surprised..._

Yuki quickly ran up to him and threw her arms around him, sighing.

"I see you've gotten better... I'm so relieved..."

Saiki returned the hug but frowned.

"Yuki-chan..." he started quietly, stroking her hair. "You really need to stop."

Yuki's eyes jolted wide as she separated, staring at him oddly.

"But why?"

"Well, you nearly killed Nick-kun, and..."

"He deserved it."

"No, he..."

"He attacked you without warning."

"Yes, but..."

"He tried to hurt you while you were explaining yourself..."

"That is true, but still..."

"He tried to KILL you, Saiki-kun. He TRIED to take you away from me."

"I can't help the fact that he's an idiot, but..."

"Then WHY are you sticking up for him, Saiki-kun?"

That made Saiki froze, and she continued, her voice going softer.

"I can't have you taken away from me Saiki-kun... The fact that Nick-kun tried such a thing is unforgivable and he NEEDED to die because of it."

Saiki stayed silent as the black witch looked hopelessly into his eyes, her hand stroking against his cheek.

"I need you, Saiki-kun... I really do..."

"Those feelings could be a lie," he whispered, though she shook her head.

"Remember when we first met? Yes, I admit, I was struck by your looks, but your kindness was what surprised me... I was amazed because you tried to help me find my brother... You gave me that bear... You were so nice that I felt like nothing else mattered... When we finally found Nick-kun... I was so scared that I'd never see you again... That you were only a one-time deal... I..."

Her voice broke, her grip tightening on his shirt.

"I love you... I've loved you since the beginning... I always have... These feelings aren't fake, I KNOW so, Saiki-kun... You're more important to me than anything... than anyone..."

"That's not..." He was cut off when her lips were planted firmly on his own, making him get a bit dizzy.

_Yuki-chan..._

"It's fine, it really is..." she whispered desperately, snuggling into his neck. "Don't worry about Nick-kun... I don't understand why you care about him so much..."

Saiki clicked his tongue at that, huffing.

"Because, and keep in mind even _I_ don't understand why... I still think of him as a friend."

Yuki perked up, her grip on him tightening.

"I can't let you go, Saiki-kun... Realize that."

The night elemental opened his mouth to say something but stopped when his eyes grew dazed, slipping into the darkness.

"Yuki-chan... Don't..."

"Hush," she whispered carefully, holding his fainted form with a sigh.

"You really are troublesome, my love."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

_I guess... this is it... I never thought I'd leave my life like this... murdered by my own sister..._ Nick thought. _I don't care what she's said about me... I still love her. I always will._

Nick looked around the void he found himself in.

_I always thought it'd be Saiki-kun who'd kill me like this..._

"NICK!!!!"

Nick perked up at this voice. _Was that... who I think it was?_

"NICK, PLEASE WAKE UP!!!"

Trying to focus on this familiar voice, Nick noticed that the void was slowly being filled with a bright white light.

When Nick was able to regain his vision, he noticed that he was on the ground somewhere, and that Momoko was staring intently at him.

"Oh, Nick... thank god..." Momoko stated, reaching out to hug her boyfriend.

"Jeez, Momoko, easy... I'm still hurting from that..."

"Sorry..."

Nick looked around, all he could see was blue.

"Is this heaven?"

"He's delusional," Mana groaned, sweatdropping.

"Wait, Mana-chan?" Nick wondered, slowly picking himself up. "Does that mean I'm alive?"

"What does it look like?" Moriko exclaimed. "You're here, aren't you?"

"I... I thought Yuki-chan had finished me off..." Nick responded. "She was so intent on slaughtering me for what I had done to Saiki-kun..."

That's when Nick noticed that one of their group was missing.

"Saiki-kun?" Nick asked nobody in particular, then jumping right to his feet and angrily brandishing his weapon.

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE COWARD?!! GET OUT HERE SO I CAN MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!!!" Nick screamed. "THIS IS ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT!!!!"

"Nick, please calm down!!" Momoko exclaimed, holding Nick close to her.

"Yeah, what's the deal?! I thought you and Saiki-kun were friends now!!" Moriko quipped.

"Sorry to say, Mori-chan, but that apparently didn't last too long..." Nick answered, fighting for all he was worth not to burst into a crying fit. "Not after I found out why Yuki-chan's been acting the way she is. This is all his fault. He's the one responsible for all of this. I hate him now... Because of HIM, my sister hates me... because of HIM, she nearly killed me... because of HIM... because of him, our bond is gone..."

At this, Nick couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out crying.

"IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!!!!"

Momoko just held her husband close, supporting him in this rough time.

"Wait a minute... there's something I noticed..." Satoshi wondered, a little confused. "Okaa-san said she wouldn't miss the second time she tried to kill Nick-kun... yet she hesitated and Nick-kun survived. Do any of you know what that might mean?"

Nick perked up at that statement. "That means... if she hesitated in trying to kill me... that must mean that the Yuki-chan I know and love is still in there somewhere... we've gotta find a way to reach her before it's too late... before the Angel of Dusk completely consumes her..."

Nick's train of thought was interrupted when Mana slapped him hard across the face.

"Son of a... Mana-chan, what the HELL was that for?!" Nick exclaimed, rubbing the spot where he'd been struck.

"You should know what that was for," Mana growled. "Don't think I didn't see what you did to otou-chan..."

"Mana-chan, don't start!! This is all his fault in the first place!!!" Nick shot back, only to be interrupted by another slap to the face.

"That was my FATHER you almost murdered!!!" Mana screamed.

"He deserved it, Mana-chan!!" Nick responded. "It's his fault that my sister hates me!!!"

Another slap, followed by a backhand. "SHUT UP!!! THAT GIVES YOU NO RIGHT TO ASSAULT OTOU-CHAN LIKE THAT!!!!"

"Mana-chan, how would you feel if Satoshi-kun said he hated you?!" Nick shot back.

Mana immediately froze at this statement. The young night elemental looked back at her brother, her eyes starting to tear up.

"Jii-chan... why would you even say something like that? You know onii-chan would NEVER..."

"Now do you understand what I'M going through, Mana-chan?" Nick answered, about ready to cry again himself. "You know Satoshi-kun will always be by your side... he would never do such a hateful thing... now do you understand how I felt after Yuki-chan said she hated me? That I was no longer special to her? That she doesn't even consider me her brother anymore, even after everything I've told her?"

Mana just nodded, tears filling her eyes.

"I don't want to lose okaa-chan either... but isn't there something we can do?" Mana asked.

"We've gotta find a way to reach her," Nick responded. "The Yuki-chan I know is still here somewhere... we've just gotta find her before it's too late. I'm not leaving my sister behind."

Mana just nodded.

"And, Mana-chan? I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just been so hard on me, and..."

Nick was quite surprised when Mana leaned forward to plant a kiss on Nick's cheek.

"S'okay. You've always had trouble expressing your emotions. I'm sure it must be hard."

"Let's go find our troublesome twilight princess, then!!" Kurumi giggled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Even deeper into the central core, there was still no sign of Yuki.

"Where IS she?!" Moriko exclaimed. "Her aura is practically off the scale!! It shouldn't be too hard to find her like this!!"

"You wanted me? Here I am."

Everyone spun around and noticed Yuki, still in her Angel of Dusk form.

"Good to see you, too, Yuki-chan," Moriko stated sarcastically.

"This is your last warning, Nick-kun," Yuki growled. "Stay the hell away from me if you know what's good for you."

"No," Nick shot back.

This surprised Yuki. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I'm not leaving. Not until I have my cute sister back with me," Nick commented, brandishing Hanyou Hikari and getting ready to rumble.

"WHAT DID I SAY?! You're no longer my brother, Nick-kun!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"You're lying," Nick stated. This only seemed to confuse the black witch.

"What?"

"I know that deep down inside, you still believe that I'm your brother. Deep down, you know that you still love me. I'm here to bring you to your senses."

"That's about it!! I've had enough of you!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing at Nick, her wings spread wide.

Nick simply smiled and charged forward, Hanyou Hikari held high.

For about two minutes, all the others could see was the shockwaves of the impacts.

After a while of this, Nick took a step back and lunged at Yuki, his weapon ready to strike.

However, before he could get his weapon, Yuki had driven her sword into Nick's chest again.

_Jeez, I'm taken enough hits to my chest today, haven't I?_ Nick thought while trying to extract the energy sword from his chest.

"Just stop struggling, and I'll go easy on you. Though I'm going to kill you anyway," Yuki proclaimed.

"Yuki-chan. Look inside yourself. I know you're there," Nick stated with bated breaths.

"SHUT UP, I SAID!!!" Yuki screamed. "Why won't you listen to..."

And that's when Nick kissed her.

It was a light kiss, the two siblings' lips connected for a few seconds.

This fluttery kiss seemed to unlock something in Yuki's memory, having been able to pierce through all the darkness surrounding her.

"O... onii-chan..." Yuki softly stated.

Nick laughed softly, trying not to exacerbate his wounds. "See? You do remember..."

"W... what's... happening to me?" Yuki groaned, as if trying to fight off the Angel of Dusk.

"Just fight it, Yuki-chan... I know that the you I love is still in there..."

Yuki backed away, extracting her sword from Nick's chest. Scanning the others, she quickly started shivering.

"Onii-chan..." Yuki stated to nobody in particular before disappearing in a shower of black feathers.

"What the heck just happened?!" Moriko exclaimed.

Momoko quickly rushed up to Nick.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

And with that, Nick's wound was healed.

"Thanks, Momoko."

"My pleasure, sweetie."

"Okay, to ask again: WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!" Moriko screamed.

"Did we cover any ground with that little stunt of yours, jii-chan?" Mana giggled, blushing a bit.

"Not enough... but at least it's nice to know we're making some progress," Nick responded. "That proves that the Yuki-chan I love is still around. We've gotta keep trying."

"Shall we continue the search, then?" Akemi asked.

Nick smiled back at the crystal witch. "Music to my ears, Akemi-chan."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"That... THAT CREEP!!!"

Yuki's scream resounded across the area as she punched the wall to regain her composure.

"That idiot!! That bastard!! Ooh when I get my hands on him, I'm going to rip out his throat, _I WILL KILL HIM_!!!"

She took a deep breath and touched her lips, chewing on her bottom lip.

_Why would he try something like that? What a freak..._

The black witch reverted calmly back to her usual form, brushing back a bit of her black hair.

_Remember... He tried to kill Saiki-kun... Chances are, he STILL does... Yes, that's right!! I have a reason to kill him now!! To protect my Saiki-kun!! Even if he IS my brother..._

She gasped, surprised, and quickly shook her head.

_No, no, he ISN'T my brother! That creep, that moron, that FREAK is not my brother!! I disowned him already!!_

"_That's not true,"_ Saiki's voice reminded her, making her shudder. _"You still love him and you know it."_

"YOU'RE THE ONE I'M PROTECTING SO WHY?!?!" she screamed, having completely lost it. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SO LOYAL?!?!"

_You're like a hurt dog, Saiki-kun!! Always begging to be loved!! It just breaks my heart!! Saiki-kun... Saiki-kun..._

Yuki jolted to the wizard in question, almost sighing in relief that he was still passed out of the floor, his breathing light as if he were sleeping.

_Saiki-kun..._

A smile slipped across her lips as she walked towards him and got down on her knees, leaning down to run her fingertips over the curve of his cheek, her smile widening.

_That's right... As long as I have him to protect, I won't ever go back to Nick-kun... Hurting you the way he did, letting him live now would be out of the question._

She pulled him into her lap, tenderly stroking his hair.

"I have to stay strong... I guess they were right when they say love kills..." Yuki sighed heavily, her eyes flickering sadness.

_I still can't understand why Nick-kun blames my Saiki-kun for all this..._

She puckered her lips, puffing his cheeks.

_That idiot... He should realize that it's my fault... Not his... I'm completely aware of what I'm doing._

The black witch looked up, her eyes hazy.

_But I'm protecting Saiki-kun now... Nick-kun has to be dead if I want to keep him safe..._

She looked back at her unconscious boyfriend and smiled.

_It's for Saiki-kun's sake..._

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"I still can't sense Yuki-chan's aura anywhere... Do you think she turned it off again, Nick-kun?"

"Possibly, Kurumi-chan."

Moriko groaned at that.

"GREAT. Now how do we find her?!"

"Yuki-chan's bound to come out sometime..." Akemi murmured, blushing heavily. "We just keep looking..."

_But I am worried..._

Nick just nodded, looking ahead.

"It's good that I know how to reach her now, surely I can get my sister back at this rate..."

"...Nick-jii-chan? There's something I've been wondering."

The green witch perked up and stared at Mana, who was blushing heavily.

"Mana-chan?"

Satoshi stared at her worriedly, but she took a deep breath, continuing.

"What are you going to do to otou-chan when you find him?"

Nick looked surprised at that but smiled ruefully, shaking his head.

"I'll make him pay for what he's done... It's as simple as that."

"That's wrong."

"Pardon, Mana-chan?"

"That's WRONG."

Nick made a face at that, sighing heavily.

"He deserves whatever now, why should it matter?"

"NICK, if you _kill_ otou-chan," Mana seethed, getting angry all over again. "Why don't you CONSIDER the consequences if you do?"

The green witch blinked, getting a little defensive.

"Like...?"

"Mana-chan and I will disappear for starters," Satoshi whispered before his sister could respond, making Nick's eyes widen.

Sakura looked horrified at the thought.

"Otou-san, you CAN'T kill him... I don't want to lose Satoshi-kun and Mana-chan!!"

Nick opened his mouth to respond but Mana beat him to the point.

"Also, consider okaa-chan's feelings on this one."

He perked up as Mana spoke, her voice low.

"Did it EVER occur to you that the one thing that stopped okaa-chan from ripping out your throat was otou-chan? He didn't WANT you to die."

Nick's eyes widened but his sister's daughter continued, her anger and furry becoming more and more obvious in her tone.

"In fact, he's the REASON that you're still alive!!"

Her uncle looked a little confused at that, and she sighed.

"Wasn't it obvious? He was the one who healed the injuries that okaa-chan gave you right AFTER you tried to kill him... Gee, how great does it feel knowing that? It must be one blow to your ego knowing the one guy you hated just saved your pathetic life without giving it much thought."

"Mana-chan, otou-san SAID not to tell him!!" Satoshi exclaimed, surprised.

"He needed to know, onii-chan!!" his sister shot back before taking a deep, shaky breath.

"A-Also... Think of it like this. If we, by some miracle, reached okaa-chan, and then you killed otou-chan... How do you think she's going to feel about that?"

Nick's eyes jolted wide, remembering her betrayed and hurt glare he received both in that dream and the first time he tried to kill Saiki.

_If she sees me killing Saiki-kun..._

"_You TRAITOR!!"_ her voice yelled in his head, freezing him in place. _"DON'T COME NEAR ME EVER AGAIN!!!"_

_If that happens..._

"Exactly," his niece stated, snapping her fingers. "She's going to see you as some sort of monster, Nick. But why wouldn't she? Her big brother, the one she finally thought she could believe in again, just killed the love of her _life_. If that happened to _me_, well... There would be _nothing_ that would stop me from hating you so badly that I'd want you dead."

Nick looked down, horrified at the thought.

"And if you kill him BEFORE we reach her... Well..." Mana smiled ruefully. "Nothing you say or do will be able to convince her that you still love her. She'll be so blinded by rage that she'll kill you in the most brutal way possible without missing a breath. Heck, she'll probably be so torn up that the one person she's even DOING this for is dead, she'll commit suicide before you can do anything to stop her."

The green witch blinked, letting this sink in.

_She's right... No matter how much I hate Saiki-kun... No matter how much he needs to pay for his crimes... Yuki-chan..._

His fists clenched and started shivering.

_Yuki-chan still loves him._

"_And if you hurt Saiki-kun ever again," _she threatened him once, her arms tightly around the said black-haired wizard. _"I'll never forgive you. You aren't to come near me or Saiki-kun ever again."_

_If I killed him now... I would just be throwing away the last bit of trust Yuki-chan has for me..._

"Keep in mind that the Yuki-chan who loves you _also_ loves otou-chan very, very dearly," Mana stated, growling. "Killing him would be the _biggest_ mistake of your life."

"Right..." Nick mumbled, a little grumpy about it.

_Lucky bastard..._

"AND DON'T FORGET," his niece added, waving her finger. "Whether you like it or not, dad is the ONLY one who can extract that deadly power of hers."

"WHAT?!" he exclaimed before cursing under his breath at realizing how right she was.

"I wonder how willing otou-chan would be to return your sister to normal after you just tried to murder him..." Mana began, in mock thinking. "Maybe he healed you so that Yuki-chan would do the pleasures of making you die a slow and painful death."

"He wouldn't..." Nick began, seething.

Satoshi noticed what his sister was trying to do, and sighed.

_Of course, otou-san would never do such a thing... But Nick's opinion of him now is screwed up thanks to his rage._

"Oh, but why not?" Mana shot back, grimacing. "He has as MUCH reason to hate you now as anyone else..."

"Saiki-kun wouldn't do that..."

"But why wouldn't he?!" she exclaimed, making everyone stare at her in shock.

"M-Mana-chan..." Sakura yelped, though her younger cousin growled, baring her teeth.

"You tried to KILL him, Nick. You blamed HIM for EVERYTHING. I can understand why he would WANT to kill you... He's probably thinking 'this little son of a bitch tried to kill my girlfriend and then blamed ME for that, he deserves whatever comes his way'!!"

"Saiki-kun's not like that..." Nick muttered coldly, half to himself.

"But it's _sensible_ isn't it?!" Mana screamed, now letting it all out. "He never, _NEVER_ wanted you to DIE, Nick!! But now that you tried to kill him, that might all change!!"

"But, he..."

"Did you ever ONCE consider how HE feels about this being his fault?! Otou-chan's not as stable as you give him credit for..."

Nick's eyes jolted wide at that, flashing back to the time he remembered the night elemental had a breakdown, sobbing and apologizing uncontrollably to his missing brother, just begging for a forgiveness he knew he didn't deserve.

"_I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."_

He turned blank at that, sighing.

_How could I forget? I'd never seen him cry before..._

"He felt so guilty about it that he left because he wanted to set things right... He even saved your miserable life to feel a little better about himself... Not that you deserve such treatment, anyway."

She huffed, casting her glance to the side.

"He STILL cares about you, Nick. He really trusted you, and look where it got him. Nearly killed and brutalized because you were so blinded by your rage to notice... I wouldn't be surprised if he's planning your death right now..."

"DARN IT MANA-CHAN, SAIKI-KUN WOULD NEVER DO THAT AND YOU KNOW IT!!!" Nick screamed, making her flinch, shivering a bit.

"Why wouldn't he?"

Nick stared at her, growling. Mana's frown deepened, and her eyes glimmered.

"How can you be sure? It's all his fault, isn't it? Why WOULDN'T he want you to die, Nick?"

Nick's eyes jolted wide and he huffed, moving forward. "F-Forget it!!"

"Answer the question, Nick!!" Mana yelled after him, though she stayed still. "Don't you remember?! When Yuki-chan first said you weren't special to her anymore, Saiki-kun was the one trying to convince you that she was _lying_!!"

Nick's eyes widened a little more but he shut them carefully, his fists shivering.

"She's right..." Senna whispered, quietly. "My adorable Yuki-chan belongs to Saiki-kun, now..."

Kurumi, Moriko, and Akemi just casted each other an uncertain glance, frowning.

"_She doesn't mean it, really... I'm sorry..."_

"_We'll get her back, I promise."_

"_Like I've said Nick-kun over a thousand times, you need to learn patience... But I guess you're just a hundred years too young to realize such things..."_

Nick shuddered, growling.

_I don't understand... It's all his fault... So why was I so defensive of him all of a sudden?!_

"_...Maybe because you know it's true?"_ a voice that sounded too much like Yuki for his liking asked in his mind, making him freeze. "_Whether you like it or not, you still trust him to make the right decisions."_

His eyes jolted wide.

_That's not..._

"_Admit it. You're a horrible person for hating him despite the fact that while you KNOW it's his fault, he NEVER thought it would end out like this."_

_It isn't..._

"_And sickeningly enough, you STILL believe he'll spare your life despite all you've done to him... You know he cares about Yuki-chan even more than you do."_

_SHUT UP!!_

He clutched his head, his breathing hitched.

_It's not true!! It's his fault that she's like this!! It's HIS fault that she hates me!! IT'S HIS FAULT THAT EVERYTHING'S SO MESSED UP!!_

"_He's not as stable as you give him credit for,"_ Mana's voice reminded, making him freeze up. _"How do you think HE feels knowing that everything's HIS fault?"_

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!" he screamed out loud, having finally lost it.

"Nick?" Momoko wondered shakily behind him, making him quickly shake his head.

"N-No, it's nothing..."

_It's all his fault... Forgiving him is out of the question._

"_Stop being so stubborn."_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick looked up towards the skies of the central core.

_No. No way in hell. Even if forgiving him is the only way to get my sister back, that doesn't change the fact that this is all his fault. There's no way I can forgive him for breaking my bond with Yuki-chan. That little bastard knows that Yuki-chan means EVERYTHING to me. Because of YOU, I almost WANTED her to kill me, just so it could end. But that's not going to happen._

"Don't you get it, jii-chan?" Mana asked. "The only way you're going to get okaa-chan back is if you..."

"Don't you DARE finish that sentence, Mana-chan," Nick growled. "I don't care about that. This is all his fault, and he's gotta pay for it."

Mana just shook her head. "Well, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this..."

Not wasting a second, Mana looked over Nick's shoulder, her expression suddenly turning confused. "Anou... what's that?"

Nick looked in the direction Mana was pointing.

"What's what?"

"_MAKURAYAMI!!!!"_

Nick was slammed harshly into the nearby wall as Mana fired off a Makurayami spell that only served to do more damage.

"MANA-CHAN, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!!" Nick screamed once he'd recovered from the surprise attack, not expecting Mana of all people to attack him like that.

"I've had enough fooling around," Mana shot back, drawing a wand.

"_Kneel, Wabisuke!!"_

Mana's wand quickly transformed into a scimitar with a blade bent into what appeared to be a square.

"You're just as stubborn as okaa-chan, you know that?" Mana growled.

"Look who's talking," Nick shot back, preparing Hanyou Hikari for battle.

"This just keeps getting crazier and crazier," Kurumi noted as Nick and Mana prepared to do battle.

"I hope you know a good dentist!! You'll need one when I'm done with you!!" Mana exclaimed, rushing towards Nick.

"You'll probably need a new hairstyle once I'M through with you!!" Nick taunted right back, charging forwards.

"KNOCK IT OFF!!! BOTH OF YOU!!!"

Satoshi had just rushed in between Nick and Mana, hoping to put a stop to the fighting.

"I've had enough of my family fighting each other!!!" Satoshi exclaimed, tears starting to fall. "Just KNOCK IT OFF!!!"

Nick and Mana both stood completely still, letting Satoshi's words sink in.

"Onii-chan's right, jii-chan," Mana stated, her weapon reverting. "What the hell are we doing?"

"This is the kind of stuff that happens when bonds are broken," Nick responded, reverting his own weapon as well. "It's frightening. Now do you see why my temper's been driving me crazy?"

Nick looked upwards.

"I just want this madness to end," Nick stated. "I want my sister back... is that too much to ask?"

And with those words, Nick couldn't fight it anymore and sunk to his knees, the tears falling.

Suddenly feeling very bad about what she'd almost done, Mana walked up to Nick, bent down and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, jii-chan..." Mana squeaked, about ready to cry herself. "I don't want you to hate me for this..."

"Then let's go find Yuki-chan and get that power out of her before it's too late," Nick responded.

"But we may have a problem there," Mana reminded the green witch. "Otou-chan probably hates you for what you said about him..."

Those words sunk deep into Nick.

"_I really, really should kill you."_

"_This is all your fault."_

"Jii-chan? Do you really hate him?" Mana asked.

After a couple seconds of deep thought, Nick looked back at his niece.

"Mana-chan, you know I prefer not to hold grudges against people," Nick explained. "The truth is, I don't _really_ hate him. I'm just mad at him for his role in all of this. And I know he's the only one who can possibly get Yuki-chan back to her senses."

"Then, how are we going to do this?" Mana asked, only to blush when she felt Nick's hands encase her own.

"We'll worry about that when we get there," Nick stated. "Right now, we've gotta find Saiki-kun before it's too late. He's the only one who can bring Yuki-chan back to us. I just hope there's still a part of him that's willing to forgive me..."

"Um... excuse me?"

Nick instantly spun around at that voice, and just as quickly gave a gasp of shock.

The violet hair and eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Akatsuki-kun?" Moriko asked.

"Wow, surprised to see you here," Kurumi noted.

"I felt that something weird was going on," Akatsuki responded, flashing his infamous smile. "What'd I miss?"

"To put it simply, Akatsuki-kun, your brother's snapped a bit, and Yuki-chan's in a load of trouble. Saiki-kun's the only one who can bring her back, but I'm pretty sure that he hates me now, too."

"What, otouto-chan? Nah," Akatsuki responded. "He's always been over-dramatic."

"Kinda like a certain twilight princess we know," Moriko grumbled, to which Akemi giggled.

"Do you think you can help us find our missing night elemental?" Nick asked.

"Should be a piece of cake," Akatsuki laughed. "Let's go."

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Saiki continued to walk around the central core, his mind going in all sorts of directions.

_Why didn't I kill him?_ Saiki wondered. _That little jerk would have deserved it. So why did I hesitate back there? Why did I heal him? Is... is there still a part of me that wants his forgiveness? Ugh... I don't even see the point. I didn't deserve onii-chan's forgiveness, so why would I think I'd deserve Nick-kun's forgiveness?_

"Hey, there."

"Yuki-chan, listen to me. This is getting way out of hand. You have to put an end to this. For god's sake, you nearly killed your own brother!!!"

And then, Yuki forcefully pressed her lips to Saiki's.

"No more games, no more back channels. Now, you're all mine, Saiki-kun."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Saiki quickly backed away, quickly switching to cautious and nervous.

"What are you...talking about, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki's smirk only darkened as she approached him, him taking a step back, blushing heavily.

_He's being innocent again..._

"You should know what I'm talking about, my dear Saiki-kun. I'm going to make you all mine once and for all."

Saiki's eyes widened at the sudden realization as she laced her fingers into his shirt collar.

_Wait... She doesn't mean that..._

In one swift movement he was pushed to the floor, Yuki looming over him as she pinned his wrists almost tight enough to cause bruises.

Saiki, of course, blushed at the position he was in and gulped.

"Y-Yuki-chan...?" his voice shook as he stared at her in confusion, pretty sure his heart was pounding.

"I've wasted so much time..." she murmured gently, her fingers digging into his wrists. "But I'm not going to let anyone take you from me, Saiki-kun... You're mine. All mine. Just mine. I don't want to share."

Saiki blinked slowly until he winced, squirming a bit in her grip.

"B-But there's a time and place for all that later!! But I won't... Not with you like this, Yuki-chan..."

The black witch tightened her grip and leaned down closer to his face.

"Stop struggling."

The younger prince's eyes jolted wide and turned dazed as his hands went limp in her grasp, him sighing a bit.

"Yuki-chan... You can't do something like this... Not now, at least."

"I can't let Nick-kun try to take you from me again..." Yuki stated, her hands pressing tighter against him. "Isn't it obvious? I have to make you mine in the one way Nick-kun could never break."

Saiki turned away, though it was hard with Yuki over him like the way she was.

"Yuki-chan... Don't..." he was almost pleading. "I can't... I won't..."

"But I _love_ you," she protested, her voice firm as she moved her hands to his shirt collar again, her fingertips lacing to the straps underneath the vest. "Understand that."

"That's a little hard to do," her boyfriend quipped, though he stayed perfectly still underneath her. "But if you continue, you're going to end up in tears... And I don't want you crying about anything."

"I'll bear with the pain," Yuki gritted her teeth, her grasp tightening on his shirt collar, her fingertips lingering on his neck.

"That's not what I mean and you know it." Saiki whispered, though he felt his last bit of hope fading.

_If I let her have her way... I'll regret it... She will, too... But being this weak against her..._

"I can't have my feelings towards Nick-kun hinder me anymore, Saiki-kun... Understand that!!" she exclaimed, almost desperate. "You're mine... You're alone like me... We belong together... We're supposed to ALWAYS be together..."

Saiki's eyes shot wide, and he almost exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Ah... You're acting on an impulse."

This actually puzzled her a bit, and her grip froze, her voice careful as she responded.

"An...impulse? Of course I am... Why does that mean anything?"

"It means that you weren't telling the complete truth when you said you hated your older brother."

Yuki's own eyes shot wide, and her breath out stuck in her thought.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're doing this because you don't like the truth," her boyfriend exclaimed, gripping her arm with a gentle tug. "But there's no denying it now... A part of you still loves Nick-kun."

"I _hate_ him," she hissed, pinning down his wrist again as her grip tightened on his shirt collar, shoving him harder against the cold ground. "You're the only one I love now. And I plan on making you mine no matter what I have to do or who I have to kill."

"You hesitated earlier when you tried to kill Nick-kun... What about that?" Saiki asked dubiously, remaining calm despite his position.

"I didn't want you to see me like that, _sweetie_," Yuki responded in a harsh voice, though she moved her hand from his wrist to stroke the side of his face. "You should have seen how scared you looked..."

"That's not true," he replied in a stiff voice. "You're just trying to convince yourself that."

The black witch remained silent, as if pondering it over.

"You honestly think that _this_ is the only way to break those feelings, Yuki-chan... But you'll be the only one broken afterwards..." Saiki frowned at the thought but continued. "Where's the cute and innocent little sister of Nick-kun that I fell in love with? I miss her."

"...Please be quiet." Her volume was barely a breath, but he heard her.

_That's an easily ignorable request._

"You're still in there... I want her back, Yuki-chan. I don't want this. There's a time and place for everything and this isn't it."

"I thought I said to be quiet..." she reminded him in a hard voice, her expression almost rueful.

"Yuki-_chan_," he returned, his voice just as firm. "Can't you see what you're doing and how many people you're hurting?"

"You're all that matters..." she whispered, her voice cold. "You're all that's important and special to me..."

Saiki's eyelids lowered in doubt.

"Is that a fact?"

"Y-Yes..." Her voice was shaking as she pulled herself closer, almost desperate.

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I do, I do," she murmured, brushing her lips across his cheek and he flinched. "You're the only one I care about..."

"Quite trying to lie..."

She finally snapped.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY I'M LYING?! Isn't it obvious that you're the only one?! I'm doing all of this for YOU!! I nearly killed onii-chan for YOUR sake!! How can you doubt my feelings about you when I'm like this?!"

Saiki opened his mouth to answer but was cut off when Yuki vehemently crushed her lips to his.

He blinked, surprised by the forced kiss, and felt nothing short of assaulted.

_It's cold..._

She finally separated, staring into his eyes with disbelief.

"Why are you trying so hard, Saiki-kun?"

She kissed him again, though this time it was softer and a little bit more loving. It still felt desperate though.

"I don't understand..." her voice cracked as the black witch separated from him, her breath gentle against his parted lips. "Why aren't you happy?"

The younger prince blinked at that.

_I finally have Yuki-chan all to myself... But with the way I'm defending Nick-kun... Why?_

Nick's words from earlier flashed in his mind.

"_You got what you wanted, RIGHT? She's all yours. Someone who means the world to me is now completely yours. It's all because of you."_

_How would he know what I wanted? How would he know anything about me? Were we really friends?_

"_You're lying. All you ever DO is lie. You've never trusted me. Not even from the beginning."_

_I _did_ trust him, I know I did... But that could just be a lie._

"_If all you're going to do is apologize, isn't enough if I just forgive you already?!"_

"...It isn't enough." His volume was barely above a whisper, his eyes widening in horrifying realization. "It's never enough..."

_Nothing's ever enough for me... I may have wanted Yuki-chan to myself... But like this?! It isn't the same._

"Saiki-kun?" Yuki wondered a bit worriedly, taking his chin, her thumb stroking against his lips. "What's not enough? Do you want me to kill Nick-kun? I'll do anything..."

"Don't."

"Saiki...kun?"

To her surprise, he pushed her off of him, gripping urgently and almost painfully on her arms, earning a yelp, though he didn't appear to notice.

"There's only one thing you can do for me right now, Yuki-chan." He stated in a quiet voice, sounding dead serious.

Yuki blinked, her eyes sparkling.

"_Anything_."

Saiki smirked, though his expression was rueful.

"Kill me."

The black witch's eyes jolted wide.

"Wha...What?"

"Kill _me_," he repeated, his voice firm. "Stab your sword through _my_ heart, rip _my_ insides apart, and take away _my_ life without giving it a second thought. Kill me."

His girlfriend stared at him as if worried for his sanity.

"But why would you want to be separated from me, Saiki-kun? Am I not enough for you? Do you want more? I can be more..."

"You're more than enough," he sighed, patting the top of her head. "That's why I need to be dead. The fact that you're like this now is because of me... Everything's my fault."

Yuki's eyes widened as she finally understood, snapping out of his grip and standing up, looking furious.

"It ISN'T your fault, it's mine!! I don't regret trying to kill Nick-kun, I don't regret hurting him!! Don't buy his crap and start blaming yourself!! I WON'T ALLOW IT, SAIKI-KUN!!!"

Saiki smiled sadly at that, a little hurt.

"That isn't true... You probably hate me for this, too... You think it's my fault too, but..."

A resounding slap froze him in place, and the next thing he was aware of was his stinging cheek before Yuki dropped to her knees and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close and holding him so tightly that the grip on his hair was almost painful.

"I don't hate you. I don't blame you. This I can SWEAR to you, Saiki-kun. I love you so much..." She was shaking, and she tightened her grip on him as she bit her lip, holding back the sobs. "I love you... I love you... I love you and I always will."

"You said something like that to Nick-kun as well," he responded softly, sighing and staying still in her tight embrace. "Don't give me that, Yuki-chan... It hurts."

"It's true," Yuki insisted quietly before pulling back, her eyes sparkling in tears. "If you honestly expect to kill you, that'll make me fight even harder for you, Saiki-kun."

Saiki blinked and made a "huh" sound as he felt her tears falling on his face.

"That's not right though, Yuki-chan. I deserve whatever now."

"You _idiot_," she whispered, hugging him tightly again. "You don't deserve any pain... I'm so sorry for slapping you..."

The younger prince's eyes fluttered shut and he sighed for a few moments before his eyes shot open again and he pushed himself away from Yuki, looking around desperately.

"Onii-chan... Onii-chan?!"

"Saiki-kun?" Yuki wondered, concerned. "What are you talking about?"

"I felt onii-chan's presence... It could have been a mind trick but... but... Onii-chan... Onii-chan..." He seemed distressed, pressing his hand to his forehead, the swelling in his cheek completely forgotten. "Oh, my brother..."

The black witch's expression became bitter at that and she urgently yanked him close, surprising him.

"Yu...Yuki-chan?"

"You're mine and no one else's." she whispered darkly, the two of them disappearing off to somewhere before he could protest.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Saiki-kun should probably be aware I'm here now..."

Akatsuki smiled at the thought, holding up a finger that was glowing with a strange light energy.

"It's like the hide and seek games we'd play as kids..."

"I guess being twin elementals does have its perks," Kurumi noted, smiling a bit. "I wish I had the same thing with Yuki-chan..."

"Don't we all?" Moriko grumbled, her arms folded. "She's so hard to find..."

Akemi sighed. "But is Saiki-kun with her? He'll be hard to find, too... And there's still the issue that he might be angry with Nick-kun..."

"Not that we blame him," Mana returned, giving Nick a glare.

"I get it, I get it..."

Akatsuki stopped in his tracks at that, a little confused.

"My little brother may be paranoid and overdramatic, but he never holds grudges..."

"That may change, Akatsuki-kun," Nick muttered, making the older prince's eyes widen a bit.

"What did you _do_, Kellysi-kun?"

Before Nick could answer, Satoshi did the honors, walking up with a sigh.

"He pretty much blamed otou-san for everything that's going wrong right now. Nearly killed him, too."

Akatsuki blinked once in disbelief, and sighed heavily. While it was obvious how angry he was, he was much better at hiding his anger than his younger brother.

"What makes this Saiki-kun's fault? Explain that, Kellysi-kun."

Nick growled at that.

"It was that little promise of his... Yuki-chan..."

The older prince quickly cut him off.

"Don't explain. I don't think you can."

The green witch looked confused at that.

"Huh?"

"If you haven't already noticed, Kellysi-kun... You aren't the first person to blame Saiki-kun for everything going wrong."

Nick's eyes slightly widened at that. Akatsuki smiled ruefully, sighing.

"When dark magic struck the Mahoutsukaikai, my little brother took the blame. Because he's a _night_ elemental, because he drabbles a bit with _dark_ magic... Because he got himself associated with a _twilight_ princess... Those are usually the reasons they give, you know. And he can't help those things..."

The daytime elemental grew silent, and sighed.

"It's never his fault... He's just unfortunate. But _he_ doesn't realize that..."

"I guess I understand that..." Satoshi responded quietly. "The more I think about it... Otou-san just may be unlucky is all..."

Akatsuki smiled weakly at that, ruffling Satoshi's hair.

"You're a good kid, Satoshi-kun."

He turned to Nick, his violet eyes glittering in expectation.

"I know having a younger sibling hating you is rough... I couldn't ever imagine Saiki-kun hating me... Something like that... I'd rather die."

Nick made a face at that, remembering how Saiki was apologizing to him earlier, though his older brother wasn't there to forgive him.

_I can imagine why Akatsuki-kun would defend Saiki-kun... He probably loves him as much as I love Yuki-chan... Or maybe even a bit more._

"It's hard to forgive him..." he murmured, sighing. "It may not be the same with you, but..."

"Of course it isn't." Akatsuki quipped in a very Saiki-like fashion. "Even if he had done something unforgivable, I'll always see him as that little crybaby brother of mine that would start sobbing about the littlest of things... He's grown up now, but still..."

Nick made a "huh" sound at that.

_So Saiki-kun was like that... Hard to believe, but then again... Maybe not._

He suddenly noticed Akatsuki flinch and perked up.

"Akatsuki-kun...?"

"Something's wrong..."

The older prince shivered a bit, obviously worried about something.

"Something's wrong with Saiki-kun..."

He quickly looked ahead, his eyes glimmering in extreme concern.

"What happened?"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Oh, geez..." Nick groaned after Akatsuki had given the gist of what he believed had happened. "That can't be good. The Angel of Dusk's probably almost completely consumed her."

"Is that bad?" Akatsuki asked.

"That power she absorbed from the last generator is still inside of her, and it's growing stronger with each second the Angel of Dusk is still inside my sister. If it completely consumes her, it'll be too late..."

"It's NEVER too late!!" Mana exclaimed. "You of all people should know that, jii-chan!!"

"You know what? Mana-chan's right," Nick responded. "We'd better go find those two before it's too late!!"

"RIGHT!!!" Senna exclaimed, twirling Mirokumaru in her hands. "Let's go save my adorable Yuki-chan from the clutches of evil!!!"

It was then that Akatsuki noticed Senna. "Well, it looks like you made a new friend."

"That's Senna-chan," Kurumi explained. "We met her last year when that business with Tabuu and Yami went down. She's actually something called the Memory Rosary."

"The Memory Rosary?" Akatsuki responded. "I thought that was just a legend..."

"So did Saiki-kun," Nick stated, suddenly feeling a little angry at mentioning the night elemental's name, though he quickly shrugged this off.

_My rage was blinding me before, but now I understand. I've gotta understand that even though all of this may be Saiki-kun's fault, he's also the only one who can put things right. We've gotta find him, and FAST._

"We'd better hurry, everyone," Nick stated. "I don't know how much time we have."

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After a few more minutes of traveling, the party eventually found Saiki, alone and confused.

"Otouto-chan?" Akatsuki cautiously asked.

Saiki lifted his head and noticed his older brother standing there with the rest of the party.

"Despite how happy I am to see you, onii-chan, I thought I told you never to call me that," Saiki groaned.

"Sorry, force of habit," Akatsuki laughed.

"So, what exactly are you doing here?" Saiki wondered.

That was when Nick stepped up.

"Saiki-kun."

Saiki took caution, not knowing what Nick was going to do to him.

"Well, well, Nick-kun... I thought you hated me..."

Nick forced down a gulp, hoping that the situation wouldn't escalate into violence that would destroy the only chance he'd have to get his sister back.

"Look... Saiki-kun, I know these past couple hours have been really stressful for the both of us... and I know we both said some very hateful things to each other... but I realize that, as much as I hate to admit it... as much as I REALLY hate to admit it... you're Yuki-chan's only hope. You're the only one who can bring her back to herself... to you, to me, to US... and despite what I said to you, I was hoping there's still a part of you that's willing to forgive me... you know Yuki-chan as well as I do... maybe even a little more... and that's not something I'd usually admit... but we need your help, Saiki-kun. You're the only one who can bring Yuki-chan back to her senses. You know damn well what it feels like to lose a bond with someone that you consider precious... you said that you already lost your bond with Akatsuki-kun... but you're also the only one who can stop that from happening again... So... _please_, Saiki-kun... you're our last hope..."

Nick looked down at the floor, not daring to face Saiki, knowing that his pleading would probably be in vain.

He sure didn't expect Saiki to walk up to him with a smile on the night elemental's face.

"Look, Nick-kun. You understand that Yuki-chan's just as stubborn as you can be sometimes. Reaching her is gonna be really hard as long as she's got that power inside of her."

Nick looked at the night elemental, hardly being able to believe what he was hearing.

"But... for Yuki-chan's sake... and yours... I'll try my best."

Nick couldn't help but break a smile at that.

"That's all I really ask for, Saiki-kun."

"So, are we friends?"

Saiki extended his hand, which Nick promptly shook.

"Yeah... we're friends. For real this time."

"That's MUCH better," Moriko stated. "NOW WHERE'S YUKI-CHAN?!"

"Relax, Mori-chan," Nick chided. "This is Yuki-chan we're talking about. With that power of hers, I'm sure she'll find us."

Almost as if on cue, a massive pulse wave of dark energy slammed into the ground, scattering both the green witch and the night elemental.

"Well, fancy seeing you guys here," Yuki stated, floating downwards, still in her Angel of Dusk form.

"Look, Yuki-chan, I know how much I mean to you, but you have to stop this madness right now!!!" Saiki exclaimed. "Don't you see what you're doing to me and your brother?!"

"I told you, that bastard is NOT my..."

"That's not true and you know it, Yuki-chan!!!" Nick interjected, cutting Yuki off. "I know somewhere under all that dark power that's corrupted you, there's still the Yuki-chan I know and love... and the Yuki-chan that I know still loves me..."

Yuki was about to respond harshly to this, when she heard a voice enter her mind.

"_Let me deal with him."_

"If it'll get him to listen, okay," Yuki stated to herself, feeling the source of this voice take control of her body.

Before anyone could grasp what had just happened, Yuki's eyes had turned from brown to an evil-looking shade of red.

"_Well, I never thought I'd cross paths with you like this, brat,"_ Yuki stated, though when she spoke now, it was a deep male voice that came out, as if someone had taken over her body again.

"Wait, what the heck?" Kurumi wondered.

Nick tried scanning his memories. That new voice was starting to sound familiar now...

"_I assume that the Four Giants have told you of my existence, haven't they?"_ Yuki wondered.

That's when it clicked.

"Dark Spirit..." Nick growled. "I should have known you'd be behind this whole damn thing..."

"_Good guess, brat,"_ Yuki responded. _"You catch on quick."_

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, possessing my sister like that?!" Nick demanded.

"_It's simple, really,"_ Yuki explained. _"I know that this little sister of yours possessed the power I'd need to rule this world again. These pathetic humans will pay for what they did to me... They shunned me... abandoned me... disgraced me... and they will pay for that."_

"Not gonna happen, freak show!!!" Moriko exclaimed.

"What Mori-chan said," Nick commented, shifting into fighting stance.

"_You brats could consider yourselves lucky that I don't just annihilate you where you stand,"_ Yuki stated. _"But right now, I have other plans to attend to."_

With that, the Dark Spirit-possessed Yuki disappeared just as explosions began to rock the surrounding area.

"What the hell?!" Kurumi exclaimed.

"Oh, crap..." Saiki growled. "Yuki-chan just did something bad, and now it looks like Abel's Ark is about to blow!!"

"WHAT?!!" Moriko nearly screamed. "How much time do we have to make our great escape, then?!"

"According to my calculations, we've got about forty minutes to escape," Saiki explained.

"Well, then, let's get the hell out of here!!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing off at a high speed, the others following not too far behind.

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Come on Akemi-chan, we need to HURRY!!"

Akemi yelped as Moriko roughly yanked on her hand as they ran, but sighed.

"I just don't know what to do..."

"There still must be a way to reach Yuki-chan!!" Senna exclaimed, as confident as ever. "But first we have to exclaim this exploding fortress or we're doomed!!"

"For some reason that doesn't make me feel any better," Kurumi groaned, rolling her eyes.

"No worries, Kurumi-san," Satoshi stated. "At this rate, we'll be fine..."

Mana just nodded. "Of course, of course..."

"All this happening is exactly why I always tell you to stay at home, onii-chan," Saiki groaned, earning Akatsuki to chuckle.

"So it's a crime to visit my adorable little brother because I miss him?"

This earned the said little brother to flush red, stammering.

"Q-Quit fooling around, onii-chan!! I swear, you never change...and we're not little kids anymore!!"

"Right... Right..." Akatsuki rolled his eyes with a sigh. "You're the one that never changes, Saiki-kun."

Saiki's blush deepened at that and he pouted a bit, groaning.

"Good grief..."

"Saiki-kun, I hate to interrupt the brotherly love moments, but do you have ANY idea how to reach my sister?!" Nick exclaimed, impatient as always.

Saiki snapped up, his expression pensive.

"The only way to reach that is to travel into her sub-conscious... Defeat the Dark Spirit... And remove that power completely..."

Nick blinked at that.

"Okay, Saiki-kun, can you actually _do_ that?"

Akatsuki smirked at that.

"Only if they're asleep, Kellysi-kun. Sub-conscious travel is my gift, thank you very much."

"You've never used it before though," the younger prince muttered darkly, sighing. "It's a lot more complicated than it looks, onii-chan..."

"I've been bored quite a lot since you left, Saiki-kun." Akatsuki stated matter-of-factly. "I know how my powers work..."

He suddenly noticed something, and his smile disappeared.

"What's with the bruise?"

"Yuki-chan has quite a swing," his little brother stated with a sigh, rubbing his cheek. "Don't worry about it."

Akatsuki grimaced.

"Right... I'll just worry about it when we reach the exit in...how long?"

That's when Saiki perked up, surprised.

"Right up ahead!!"

"Great!! Faster, everyone!!" Nick exclaimed as they increased their speed, Momoko taking out her poron.

"_Peruton petton pararira pon! Platform, appear!!"_

As they jumped out the exit, landing ungracefully on a yellow clear platform that quick jetted away from the doomed Abel's Ark as it burst into flames, a black hole taking its place.

"Thanks, sweetie," Nick stated to Momoko, earning a giggle.

"My pleasure, Nick."

Akatsuki sighed, dusting himself off before touching his brother's swollen cheek, making him flinch.

"O-Onii-chan?

"Stay still."

Saiki's eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into his brother's hand, well aware of the warm feeling...and the second Akatsuki removed his hand, the bruise was gone.

"There. Good as new."

"So you have been working on your elemental abilities... I'd be proud, but the move you used..."

Akatsuki touched his own cheek as he winced. "You're right about Yuki-chan's swing, Saiki-kun...and there's always the rule with forbidden magic..."

"So you can heal without the use of a soten kisshun..." Nick noted, a bit curious. "I guess that's useful, Akatsuki-kun..."

The older prince let out a light laugh.

"It's not as easy as it looks, Kellysi-kun... Healing something that a soten kisshun wouldn't takes my own life energy... Healing something that a soten kisshun would transfers the injury to myself so I don't use it often... But there are ways to manipulate my powers into ways you couldn't imagine... Just be glad that you're friends with my brother now, Kellysi-kun."

He smirked, making Nick shudder a bit.

"It's not a threat, it's a promise."

"Understood..." Nick responded a bit warily, earning Saiki to raise an eyebrow.

"Onii-chan... There's something else we need to do..."

Akatsuki perked up and nodded.

"Right... You and Kellysi-kun need to get into Yuki-chan's sub-conscious and bring her back... We'll all stay behind and meet back up with the others just in case..."

Moriko reluctantly nodded with everyone else.

"YOU BETTER BRING MY YUKI-CHAN BACK!!!" Senna exclaimed, waving her arms about.

"GO FOR IT, OTOU-SAN!!!" Sakura exclaimed as well, pumped up as always.

Nick nodded, and Saiki sighed.

"Nick-kun... There's one thing I'd like to say..."

"What is it, Saiki-kun?"

The night elemental blushed, and smiled.

"I know you still believe it's my fault... and it's true. I'm sorry, but bringing Yuki-chan back to the Yuki-chan we love is the only way to make up... It's a little selfish, but... What do you say?"

Nick perked up at that, a little confused as Saiki's grin widened.

"Do you wish to be comforted or rallied into action? When things fall apart, it's time to evolve. Are you ready, Nick-kun?"

The green witch had to smile back at that.

"Do you really need an answer, Saiki-kun?"

Saiki opened his mouth to respond but Akatsuki took his hand, cutting him off.

"Alright, now that we have that all settled, let's hurry."

The older prince raised his hand to the black hole, and focused, bluish energy surrounding both his younger brother and Nick.

"Now good luck, and Saiki-kun... I won't forgive you if you don't come back!!"

Saiki simply nodded as his hand slipped out of his brother's, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Thank you... nii-chan."

And just like that, they were gone.

"Be safe..." was Akatsuki's last whisper.

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"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HURT HIM!!!"

"_Shut up, will you? I'm only doing what you wanted..."_

"By taking care of that little bastard that calls himself my BROTHER. If you so much as touch Saiki-kun again..."

"_I GET it... But that night elemental has some power... Are you sure about this?"_

"Saiki-kun is MINE. Touch him and you will regret it."

"_Urgh... You have too much restraint, twilight princess..."_

Yuki rubbed her head, her eyes back to their deep brown.

"Remember our part of the deal... Saiki-kun will stay untouched. He's mine. All mine..."

"_Right, right... I'll deliver him to you if you want, as well... Just lend me your body again..."_

The black witch pondered this over.

"_Where's the Yuki-chan I fell in love with?"_ Saiki's voice haunted her, making her flinch. _"I miss her."_

"_He'll be all yours..."_

"All mine..." she mused, sighing. "So tempting..."

"_But is that what you want?"_ his voice asked her again in her memory, making her shiver.

"No... You WILL be mine... I have to have you to myself... Nick-kun... Akatsuki-kun... THEY CAN'T HAVE YOU!!!"

_This feeling's getting stronger... and stronger... I can't take it any longer... It's slipping through my fingers... Everything... Everyone... My Saiki-kun..._

_"He'll be yours, and that's a promise."_

Yuki blinked, snapping up.

"Mine..."

"_Yours. And he'll be perfectly happy with you... All wrapped around your delicate little fingers."_

A smile twitched at the black witch's lips.

"All mine..."

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"Nick-kun? Did you hit your head?"

"Urgh... What was your first clue? Urgh..."

"How did you manage that?"

"Shut up, Saiki-kun."

Saiki sighed as he folded his arms, helping Nick up.

"Either way... We need to hurry up and find your sister and my idiotic girlfriend..."

"Of course..." he responded before tensing up. "But Dark Spirit won't give her up without a fight."

Saiki just grinned.

"Of course not. But we're not giving her up that easily."

"Right as usual, Saiki-kun."

"Gee, thanks."

Nick suddenly looked around, cautious.

"What was that?"

Saiki was about to respond when his eyes suddenly jolted wide and turned dazed as he collapsed, surprising Nick.

"S-Saiki-kun?! Jeez, you're almost as danger prone as Yuki-chan!!" Nick exclaimed as he quickly shook the night elemental's shoulders in a vain attempt to bring him back to reality. "Wake up already!!"

"_Stay away from him."_

Nick snapped up as he spun around to face his sister floating there in her Angel of Dusk form, making him tense up.

"Yuki...chan..."

"_Wrong,"_ Yuki chuckled as she snapped her fingers, the darkness swallowing up Saiki before Nick could protest.

"Akatsuki-kun's going to kill me..." he groaned before turning back to his sister. "What did you do to him?!"

"_Handed him over to your sister, of course."_ She laughed, the sound almost psychopathic. _"It's all she wanted to keep safe from me... And it's the least I could do... Seeing as she gave me permission to kill you and if you kill me, you kill her... And without the night elemental, you're useless."_

Nick cursed before brandishing Sekai no Hikari.

"No matter. I DID say I'm not giving up my sister without a fight!!"

"_Hmph. Your funeral, brat."_

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Saiki groaned as he awoke, looking around the strange, light blue place he was.

"Where...am I?"

"With me, of course."

Saiki's eyes widened as he quickly stood to his feet, facing Yuki who appeared in her normal clothes.

"Yuki-chan... Where are we?"

"Somewhere safe where Dark Spirit can finish Nick-kun in peace." She smiled goofily, but it made the night elemental shiver. "You're all mine...and I'm not sharing you, my dear Saiki-kun."

"That's wrong..." he responded shakily as he backed away, grimacing. "He's your BROTHER, handing him over to the enemy like that... What if he DIES, Yuki-chan?!"

"Then he won't hurt you anymore," she replied nonchalantly, shrugging. "Simple as that."

"He won't hurt me!!"

"He SAID he wouldn't hurt you after you two became friends... He TOLD me he wouldn't hurt you even further behind... He PROMISED me that he wouldn't attack you anymore after the Senna-chan ordeal... He's been LYING and breaking his promises time and time again, Saiki-kun. I can't risk you with him anymore."

Saiki faltered at that.

"He's still your brother."

"Give me a break," Yuki proclaimed, walking up to firmly take his hands in her own. "He's nothing to me."

"You don't believe that. Tell me, Yuki-chan... When your mother died... When your father started attacking you... Who comforted you?"

This took the black witch aback, and she looked down, stammering a bit.

"T-That's different..."

"You tried to commit suicide after your dad betrayed you," Saiki relayed to her harshly, yanking his hands out of hers. "But who was it that stopped you? Because I'm damn sure it wasn't me, Yuki-chan."

"You weren't there..."

"Nick-kun's been with you since the very _beginning_, Yuki-chan. I haven't even come close."

Saiki looked down, his fists clenching.

"He means more to you than I ever could... Don't bother denying it... I know how it feels... Because onii-chan's done for me what he's done for you."

She looked at him, not quite understanding.

"I think my brother overdoes things, the same way I tend to." Saiki admitted with a slight blush, shrugging. "But he doesn't take things as seriously as I'd like... And he always treats me like a baby, and that drives me insane to no possible end... But he's the first person to ever comfort me and to tell me it's alright to cry...and I wouldn't give him up for the world. I'm sure that you feel the same way about Nick-kun, Yuki-chan. We may have some connection that's rare, even in the most potential of couples... But that's nothing compared to the memories you've shared with Nick-kun or the moments you've spent in his arms while crying your eyes out for whatever reason... And you know that, Yuki-chan. I know you do. I thought that when you and Nick-kun showed up hand in hand, I hoped that you understood how special your relationship with him was... I hate that I'm wrong... But hey, better late than never, right?"

Yuki stared at him in disbelief, and sighed.

"Even if you say that... It still doesn't atone for what he's done."

Saiki frowned at that.

"But do you want this?"

The black witch snapped up, and looked at him in confusion.

"Do you want to throw him and everyone you loved and made memories with away for my happiness? Or will you put the past behind you and act right for once? Because the latter will be much less painful than this, Yuki-chan."

Yuki said nothing but looked down, sighing.

"You ought to try out for public debate, Saiki-kun."

Saiki stared at her oddly but was taken aback when she kissed him full on the lips, making him flinch.

"Y-Yuki-chan?"

"I'm still not giving you up, though, Saiki-kun." She smirked, her expression casting a shadow as she brushed her lips once against his again, twice before she giggled darkly.

"You're going to be mine by any means necessary. Even if I have to break you apart piece by piece to do so... Don't worry though darling, the pain will go away all very, very soon. And I'm not going to let some miscommunication get in the way of our happiness."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"All right," Nick stated matter-of-factly, brandishing Sekai no Hikari and bringing it into a fighting stance. The blade of the mystical weapon shined brightly amongst the black hole they were fighting in. "I'm through playing games with you, Dark Spirit. I don't care how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to put an end to this right here and RIGHT NOW."

"_You seem to be clouded by your rage at me,"_ Yuki responded. _"You do realize that the way I am right now, if you destroy me, you'll destroy your sister, right?"_

Yuki sneered evilly, though this was silenced when Nick shot her a commanding glare.

"You underestimate me, Dark Spirit," Nick shot back. "I'm fully aware of what would happen if I destroyed you before I'm able to get you out of my sister. So I'm gonna find a way to extract you first and THEN destroy you."

"_Stubborn, insolent brat!!"_ Yuki exclaimed. _"You know that without your precious night elemental, you will not be able to extract me from the twilight princess!!"_

Nick just shook his head. "Hey, I've gotten through worse scrapes before, right?"

_"Hmph. It's your funeral, then."_

Suddenly, Yuki's eyes flashed back to their normal brown hue for a couple seconds.

"Nick-kun... you're not going to hold back, even though you still consider me your sister?" Yuki stated matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Nick responded, twirling Sekai no Hikari in his hands. "I can always remember that when we took karate classes together, you'd always tell me not to hold back for your sake. You'd always want me to give it my all."

"Exactly," Yuki giggled.

"So that's what I'm going to do," Nick stated, shifting into fighting stance. "I'm going to give this last battle my all. For the ones I love."

"That's just the way I like it," Yuki stated. "No rules, no limitations, no holding back."

"The way I've always fought," Nick responded.

"You won't stand in my way, Nick-kun," Yuki growled. "You do know I'm still going to kill you, right?"

"I can deal," Nick noted.

"Very well, then."

Yuki's eyes switched back to their red hue that signified Dark Spirit was now in control.

_"Have at you, boy."_

"Let's dance, freak show."

And with that, Nick and Yuki charged for each other.

Nick began the battle with a spinning slash that Yuki flew upwards to evade.

The black witch was about to strike back with a vicious uppercut, but Nick dodged just in time to retaliate with another spinning attack, this one connecting and doing a nice bit of damage.

"_Lucky shot, boy,"_ Yuki growled.

"That's pure skill right there," Nick shot back, bringing Sekai no Hikari behind him.

Yuki responded to this by drawing Shutsuga Tobiume, which was now glowing with a massive dark aura instead of the twilight aura it usually emitted.

"_Come forth, o lightning, and receive your punishment!!"_ Yuki chanted, charging straight for Nick.

Sekai no Hikari's blade began to glow brightly with all the colors of the rainbow as Nick prepared for his sister's attack.

"_Mystic Arte!! Radiant Moonlight!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, swinging Shutsuga Tobiume and creating a massive wave of dark energy that went spiraling towards Nick.

The green witch easily stepped to the side, making the attack miss him by inches.

"_How'd I miss?!"_ Yuki wondered.

"My turn," Nick responded before charging forward.

Yuki was about to retaliate, but she couldn't get Shutsuga Tobiume around in time and Nick started rapidly slashing at her, each strike leaving a rainbow trail behind it.

Once Nick was finished with the barrage of strikes, he drew back Sekai no Hikari.

"_Mystic Arte!! Rainbow Rapids!!"_ Nick exclaimed, thrusting Sekai no Hikari upwards, this motion creating a geyser of rainbow energy that slashed mercilessly at Yuki.

Once the black witch dropped to the ground, the darkness around her began to quickly patch up the wounds she'd just received.

"Okay, that means this could take a lot longer than I expected," Nick noted to himself.

Before too long, all of Yuki's wounds had disappeared, and she stood up again.

"_There. Good as new,"_ Yuki commented. _"What will you do now, boy? My wounds will almost instantly heal thanks to the immense power I now have complete control of."_

"Simple," Nick responded, gripping the hilt of his weapon tightly. "I'm gonna keep fighting, plain and simple. I'm come WAY too far to just give up now!!"

"_If you did, it would be easier on me,"_ Yuki quipped.

"Sorry, dark boy, but I don't even know the MEANING of the words 'give up'," Nick stated, swinging Sekai no Hikari behind him and charging again.

"_Such a stubborn brat,"_ Yuki noted, raising her hands above her head. _"Why not just go quickly to your death?!"_

Nick made a spectacular leap towards Yuki just as she unleashed a geyser of dark energy.

Unfortunately for Nick, he couldn't react in time to dodge, and the dark energy sent him flying back a couple feet.

"_Not so lucky this time, are you?"_ Yuki taunted.

"I've been hit by worse," Nick quipped, shaking off the damage.

"Ever the optimistic one, correct?"

"I've always looked at things the way I know they're going to turn out," Nick commented. "So I know you're not going to have your way, Dark Spirit!!"

"_FOOL!!!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, rushing forward with Shutsuga Tobiume at the ready.

Nick steadied himself, ready for Dark Spirit's next attack.

For a good minute, all that could be seen were the shockwaves of the impacts as Nick and Yuki slashed fiercely at each other, only to end in a stalemate every single time they clashed.

"_I will admit, you are definitely stronger than what I expected of you,"_ Yuki admitted.

"I get that a lot," Nick teased, hopping back and charging, only to have his blade meet Yuki's once again.

"_I guess that means it is time to step it up, as you would say,"_ Yuki noted, throwing her arms out and powering up.

When she was finished, Yuki had gained two more pairs of black angel wings, her black robe had turned ruby red, and the dark aura surrounding her became ever more ominous.

"_Feel my full power!!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, rushing forward so fast that Nick couldn't even see her coming.

Within the space of a few seconds, Yuki had formed her trademark energy sword and jammed it straight into Nick's chest, dangerously close to his heart.

"Ack... enough... enough shots at my chest today, for kami's sake..." Nick groaned.

"_Bet you thought you should have let the girl be when you had the chance,"_ Yuki taunted.

"Not a chance," Nick responded.

"_Very well, then!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, jamming the blade further in.

All of a sudden, Nick felt his world spin, though for some reason, he didn't feel the blade piercing his heart.

Just then, Nick's vision went black.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Nick woke up to find himself in a completely black void.

"Okay, I think calling this place 'completely freaking weird' would probably be the understatement of the CENTURY," Nick noted to himself.

Nick took a good look around this mysterious void of nothingness. He could still feel his heart beating, so he knew this wasn't a dream and that Yuki hadn't really killed him.

So what the hell was going on?

"I thought I'd find you here, you murderer."

Nick spun around at that, noticing Yuki standing there, in her normal clothes and looking completely hysterical, like she had in his earlier vision.

"I tried to tell you not to do that to him... and yet you did it anyway!!!" Yuki exclaimed, brandishing what appeared to be a massive cleaver.

"I didn't do ANYTHING to Saiki-kun!!" Nick exclaimed, trying to reason with his hysterical sister. "YOU'RE the one who spirited him away!!!"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Yuki exclaimed, swinging the cleaver easily and charging for Nick.

Just then...

"You stay away from my onii-chan, freak!!"

All of a sudden, ANOTHER Yuki, this one looking much happier, rushed onto the scene and knocked the first Yuki to whatever was the ground in this odd setting.

"I won't forgive you if you do any harm to my brother," the second Yuki threatened, brandishing what appeared to be Shutsuga Tobiume.

This, however, only served to confuse Nick further. "What the... what the hell is going on?!"

"Nick-kun... don't you remember? It's me, Shinoya Yuki-chan!! Your cute little sister!!" the second Yuki giggled.

"How DARE you defend this murdering bastard?!" the first Yuki screamed, aiming the cleaver at the second Yuki. "Why would you do it, knowing what he did to the one person you love?!"

"Simple," the second Yuki responded. "He's my brother. And I love him, too."

"You know, you are some piece of work," the first Yuki stated. "You know that this boy almost tried to kill the one you love!! He blamed Saiki-kun for everything!!!"

"But Nick-kun didn't mean that," the second Yuki responded. "Right, Nick-kun?"

"Exactly," Nick stated, still quite confused. "Saiki-kun and I already made amends!!"

"You still have to atone for your crimes!!" the first Yuki growled, swinging her giant cleaver threateningly. "Doesn't matter what happened!!"

The first Yuki rushed at Nick, only to be once again stopped by the second Yuki, who brandished Shutsuga Tobiume.

"What did I just tell you, impostor?" the second Yuki shot back. "If you harm my brother in ANY way, I'll kill you myself."

"WOOULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!!" Nick exclaimed, finally having lost his patience.

"I don't have to explain anything to you, murderer!!!" the first Yuki screamed, only to be knocked down by the second Yuki again.

"I know you understand," the second Yuki explained. "Deep down, you still believe that Nick-kun is your brother. I'm that belief personified."

"Like I'd believe that load of crap!!" the first Yuki exclaimed, swinging her cleaver at the second Yuki, who easily dodged each strike.

"Nick-kun," the second Yuki giggled. "You know what you have to do to get rid of this impostor who won't accept this fact, right? I think she'll come around if you play a little music."

This confused Nick at first...

...but then it clicked.

"Of course!! That song the Four Giants taught me!!" Nick remembered, bringing out the ocarina that he had been given by the giants. Putting the mouthpiece to his lips, he began to play the Oath to Order, the song he had been taught.

The first Yuki immediately dropped to her knees and covered her ears the instant Nick started playing. "Stop... stop!! It hurts!!"

The second Yuki giggled.

As Nick continued to play the Oath to Order, his mind flashed back to the incident that had pretty much set off this entire chain of events. Six years ago, in an old antique house... Their mother had just died... Their father had just tried to kill Yuki... His sister begging for forgiveness for a sin she thought was her fault... and Nick comforting her that whole entire night...

The first Yuki started groaning in agony as Nick continued to play the Oath to Order, the lilting music notes filling this entire void.

When Nick finished the Oath to Order, the first Yuki had completely vanished.

Just then, as Nick put his ocarina away, the second Yuki walked up to him.

"That's my onii-chan."

And with that, the second Yuki kissed Nick softly, and everything in Nick's vision went white.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Once Nick could see again, he was back in the black hole, and the Dark Spirit-possessed Yuki was just ahead of him. Looking down, he didn't see any wound on his chest.

"_What... what sorcery is this?!"_ Yuki exclaimed.

"Good question," Nick answered. "I really don't know that myself..."

Yuki formed her energy sword and prepared to charge. _"Say your prayers, boy!! This ends here!!"_

Just then, Yuki lurched forward in pain, leaving Nick wondering what was going on.

"_What... YOU?!!"_ Dark Spirit exclaimed.

"Get... get out of my body..." Yuki's voice proclaimed from within.

"_No!! This is what you wanted, isn't it?!"_ Dark Spirit proclaimed. _"I'm giving you the power to finish off this boy so you can be with the one you love!!"_

"No... I don't want that anymore!! Get out of me!!" Yuki shot back, still fighting for control of her body.

"_Did you forget our deal?!"_ Dark Spirit growled.

"I SAID GET OUT OF MY BODY!!!!!" Yuki screamed, throwing her arms outward. This motion created a massive flash of light that enveloped the entire black hole.

When the light cleared, Yuki was back to her normal self, though tears were falling from her eyes. Right above her was a cloud of black particles with a crown attached to the top. Nick assumed that this was Dark Spirit.

That's when Nick noticed that Dark Spirit was trying to get back into Yuki's body.

"Don't even think about it!!!" Nick exclaimed, aiming right for Dark Spirit.

_"Ojamajo Purifying Light!!!"_

A massive burst of light thundered from Nick's open palms, seemingly vaporizing Dark Spirit in one shot.

When the battlefield was clear, Nick walked up to Yuki.

"Yuki-chan?" Nick asked cautiously. "Is the you I remember back?"

Yuki didn't respond for a few seconds.

"I... I'm... Nick-kun, I'm so, SO sorry..."

Nick smiled. His sister was back.

"I'm so sorry, Nick-kun... I'm so sorry..."

Nick bent down to hug his little sister. "Calm down, Yuki-chan, it's okay. Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Yuki nodded, not looking at Nick. She didn't want him to see her tear-stained face. "You know about the promise Saiki-kun and I made, right? I... I just wanted to be happy... Saiki-kun means everything to me... I just wanted us to have a happy life together... and I guess as I got obsessed with keeping that promise, I guess my mind got clouded by keeping it by any means necessary... when I sensed the power that was in the fourth generator, I knew it could help me... but... everything went to hell, didn't it?"

"Pretty much," Nick responded.

"You must hate me, Nick-kun... all those hateful things I said to you... you must absolutely hate me..." Yuki cried.

"Now why would I say that?" Nick replied. "You're my little sister, and I love you. What about me? Am I still your big brother?"

Yuki just nodded, still crying her heart out. "I don't want to lose you, Nick-kun... you and Saiki-kun are all I've got left... mom and dad are gone... all our relatives are out of the country... Nick-kun... I..."

Nick simply held Yuki close to him, stroking her twilight-black hair. "It's okay, Yuki-chan... it's okay..."

They stayed locked in each other's embrace for a long time.

"Nick-kun... I know you'll probably never be able to forgive me for this... but I..."

Nick cut Yuki off by letting his hand rest under her chin, gently tilting her head so the two siblings were staring eye-to-eye at each other.

"Stop thinking so far ahead, Yuki-chan. The future is NEVER set in stone. You and I know that more than anyone else. We've just gotta live for today and look forward to tomorrow. That's the way we've always lived our lives."

Nick smiled at his cute little sister. "Nankurunaisa."

At the utterance of their 'magic word', Yuki couldn't help but smile, the tears still falling.

"Listen, Yuki-chan. I already forgave you a long time ago. We'll get through this together. I promise."

"Nick-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you still love me?"

Nick had to smile at that. "Of course I still love you, Yuki-chan. You're my sister, and that's never gonna change."

Yuki couldn't help but smile back. "Then... I love you, too, Nick-kun."

Yuki leaned forward and pecked her brother on the lips for a split second, much like Nick had done a while ago.

"You wanna go home now?" Nick asked.

"Yeah," Yuki answered. "Let's just go find Saiki-kun and we can get out of here."

Nick got to his feet, then extended his hand so he could help Yuki up as well.

"Oh, Nick-kun? I'm sorry I missed your wedding..."

"It's okay, Yuki-chan. No harm done."

Yuki smiled brightly.

Then, a soft groan caught both siblings' attention. Nick spun around and noticed Saiki laying there, having just recovered from his hazy unconsciousness.

"SAIKI-KUN!!!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to glomp the night elemental.

"Yuki-chan?" Saiki asked, a little confused.

"Be careful with him, okay, Yuki-chan?" Nick reminded. "He's been through a lot these past couple hours."

Yuki giggled. "I can see that, onii-chan."

This simple statement seemed to shock Saiki. "Y-Yuki-chan? You... you're back?"

"Yep, and here to stay!!" Yuki giggled.

Saiki focused, not detecting any trace of Dark Spirit or the Angel of Dusk within Yuki.

The night elemental then cast a glance at Nick, looking quite surprised.

"Nick-kun? How in god's name did you get Yuki-chan back to herself?" Saiki asked.

Nick had to stifle a laugh. "To be honest, Saiki-kun... I have absolutely no idea."

Nick figured it may have had something to do with that vision he'd had of the black void with the two versions of Yuki he'd encountered. Apparently, from what Nick could gather, the Yuki that had attacked him with a cleaver was Yuki's obsessive side, corrupted by the powers of both the Angel of Dusk and Dark Spirit. And the happy Yuki, the one who had unconditionally defended him, represented the Yuki that Nick knew and loved, the Yuki that he knew was still within.

"I'm just glad that whatever I did actually worked," Nick sighed in relief.

"Saiki-kun?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah?" the night elemental wondered.

Yuki smiled brightly, gently taking Saiki's hands and leaning in to kiss him.

"Let's go get married."

Saiki had to smile at this.

"Let's."

Just then, a massive pulse wave knocked the three teenagers down.

Nick looked up and noticed Dark Spirit, who had long since taken on a humanoid form.

"Didn't I take care of you, freak?!" Nick exclaimed.

"_I have had enough of all of you!!!"_ Dark Spirit exclaimed, raising his hands. Almost instantly, the black hole dissolved to reveal Misora again.

More specifically, they had all reappeared in front of the wreckage of a very familiar house.

"Wait... this is our old house!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"I see you've got a bit of taste, Dark Spirit," Nick commented. "Back to ground zero for the final battle, huh?"

"_I will annihilate you,"_ Dark Spirit proclaimed.

"Not gonna happen, freak show!!" Yuki shot back. "Nothing, and boy do I mean NOTHING, is ever going to separate me and Nick-kun again!!! NOTHING!!!!"

Swirls of energy converged around Nick and Yuki, transforming them both into their super forms.

"Let's end this, Dark Spirit," Yuki challenged.

Then, Nick entwined his hand with Yuki's.

"Together," Nick stated.

Yuki smiled. "Yeah. Together."

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Be careful you two," Saiki muttered, sighing.

Yuki turned to him, smiled, and nodded.

"Mochibachi."

Nick looked a little confused at that but sighed.

"Of course, absolutely... Right Yuki-chan?"

"Word combinations are fun," was his sister's reply.

_Yep, she's back to normal Yuki-chan again._

"Let's just hurry, alright Yuki-chan?"

"Impatient as always, dear brother."

They turned to face Dark Spirit, their hands tightening around one another.

"Are you ready, Yuki-chan?"

"Why wouldn't I be, Nick-kun?"

Nick smiled to himself and Saiki's words before they entered the dark realm resounded in his mind.

"_Do you wish to be comforted or rallied into action? When things fall apart, it's time to evolve. Are you ready, Nick-kun?"_

_I never really understood what he meant when he said all that... But..._

His smile widened as he looked towards Yuki, who smiled as well, cheerful as ever.

_He was referring to Yuki-chan... Not to me... I guess Saiki-kun really is quite the speaker when he wants to be..._

"Let's go."

"Right."

"_You know this is just some pipe dream of yours, twilight princess," _Dark Spirit growled, the addressed black witch tensing up. _"I don't know why you even bother..."_

"Can it, freak."

Nick nodded and gripped his sister's hand even tighter.

"Yuki-chan...? Let's hurry."

"Alright, alright," Yuki just giggled. "Hurrying!!"

Her brother let out a sigh of relief.

"Right..."

She pulled him close, smiling.

_Alright, then..._

"_To the beings of hope..."_ Yuki chanted.

"_To the beings of spirit..."_ Nick continued.

"_Together with the ones that reside between light and dark, gather into our own hands and dispel the evil with our purity!!"_ both Nick and Yuki chanted, letting their arms rest around each other while drawing their free hands back.

"_Double Ojamajo Twilight Whirlwind!!"_

Dark Spirit held up a hand, surprisingly blocking the massive attack. The siblings took caution, already on the defensive.

"Stronger than last time," Nick noted before his expression darkened. "But still no match."

"_I should be saying that, brat,"_ Dark Spirit proclaimed, firing a dark shockwave the green witch quickly blocked, growling.

"Right..."

"Nick-kun..." Yuki murmured before her eyes popped wide.

_Wait... Dark Spirit and I shared minds at one point..._

She began pondering, her expression pensive.

_Maybe I can use that to my advantage..._

Saiki soon perked up, noticing something odd about the black witch's aura.

_Is she...?_

"Oi, Yuki-chan?" Nick wondered, turning to his sister who quickly beamed.

"I still have a little tiny bit of the Angel of Dusk inside me, Nick-kun. That'll be more than enough."

With that she focused her aura, taking a deep breath.

_I still remember...taking in that last generator the way I did..._

Her super form pulsed as she raised her hand, where dark energy spiraled around her palm.

"_Ikuzo_!!"

Her brother watched in surprised as the energy gathered, his eyes widening.

"Yuki-chan..."

"_Yuumei, unite!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, the energy focused, surrounding both her hands with the mischievous dark energy.

The black witch smirked and threw her hands forward, the same twilight energy pulsing intensely.

"_Sutaraito Kiseki!!"_

Responding to her spell, the dark energy charged forward and morphed into a bright white that surrounded the dark spirit and constricted it, shining with the five-tipped shape of a star.

The dark spirit struggled, shocked with the power.

"_What... What is this?!"_

"Just something I combined with my new dark energy and my usual twilight energy." Yuki smirked, putting her hands on her hips.

"It's a special spell... Something I designed just myself."

She winked.

"Like?"

"Fascinating," Saiki noted, surprised. "But it's so like Yuki-chan to do that, I suppose..."

"Are you impressed, Nick-kun?" the black witch asked cheerfully, beaming.

Nick blushed at first but quickly grinned, patting her head.

"Good job, sis."

Yuki giggled at that, blushing a bit herself.

"Ooh... You're flattering me, onii-chan..."

Dark Spirit soon broke free of the spell, and the siblings' attention was once again on it.

"_Impressive, you stupid little princess..."_ it growled, the dark energy around it pulsing. _"But don't think that it's over just yet."_

"Of course not," Nick responded, taking battle stance. "That would just be boring..."

_Still, gotta keep up my guard..._

"I think my _Sutaraito Kiseki_ might help us out a little more..." the black witch began, sighing. "But it's really new, so I can't use it as often as I'd like..."

"I had the same problem with Saiki-kun's Kurai Kairai spell..." Nick quickly responded, making her perk up.

"Oh..."

_I guess so, then..._

"Yuki-chan? Just stay with me here..."

"Of course, Nick-kun."

Yuki simply giggled.

_But with the connection I made before the spell... There might be more that I can do..._

"Do you have a plan, onii-chan?"

"Of course I do... I'm no Saiki-kun, but..."

Saiki blushed lightly at the statement, grumbling a bit.

_What's THAT supposed to mean?_

Nick quickly grinned.

"But I got _something_, alright."

"Back-up plan?" his sister offered, which was rewarded with silence for a few seconds before she understood.

"...Huh. You're so typical, Nick-kun."

"Whatta ya expect?" Nick growled, rolling his eyes. "Sheesh, Yuki-chan..."

"Don't worry, then."

"Huh?"

He looked at her, question marks in his eyes.

"What's that mean, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki simply winked.

"I got a plan."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"_Such foolish intent,"_ Dark Spirit proclaimed. _"You know my power is the only chance you'll have for happiness, little girl."_

"Go to hell, freak!!" Yuki shot back, clinging to her brother's arm. "You're not separating me from the ones I love any more!!!"

"Truer words," Nick stated.

"_Very well, then,"_ Dark Spirit responded. _"I'm done playing with you."_

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing," Nick teased, charging right at Dark Spirit.

_Jibun katte ni omoikonde_

_Urame ni deru koto yoku aru kedo_

_Ikite yukitai kyou yori ashita e_

_(As I was growing up, I thought_

_There surely are things that'll backfire on me but_

_I want to live on more tomorrow than I'm doing today)_

Just then, as Nick and Dark Spirit clashed, Akemi, Moriko, Kurumi, and Senna rushed onto the scene, having noticed the chaos of the battle.

"What the hell?!" Moriko exclaimed. "NOW what's going on?!"

"Wait. Yuki-chan looks happy, so that must mean... YAY!!!! MY ADORABLE YUKI-CHAN'S BACK!!!!" Senna exclaimed, giggling a bit.

"Wait... could it still be a ruse?" Kurumi asked, a little cautious.

_"Sutaraito Kiseki!!!"_ Yuki exclaimed, activating her newest spell and constricting Dark Spirit.

"Go for it, onii-chan!!!" Yuki exclaimed, to which Nick just nodded.

"No need to worry," Akemi giggled. "She's back, all right."

_"The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Dark Spirit couldn't get its hands up in time and was knocked for a loop by the MUCH stronger Arrow of Light.

_Hito no naka de nani o motome oikaketa n darou_

_Kotoba dake ja wakari aezu kizutsukete namida shita_

_(I wonder what people's desires are_

_We can't understand each other just from words so we get hurt and cry)_

"Whoa... that was a HELL of a lot stronger than before," Kurumi noted.

"He's fighting for someone he loves," Saiki explained, walking up to the rest of the party. "He draws strength from the promises he's made."

"Saiki-kun?" Moriko asked. "You're being friendly again?"

"Yep," Saiki quipped. "It's for real this time."

"That's good," Kurumi noted. "We don't want you two trying to kill each other again..."

_Mogakeba mogaku hodo kodoku o samayotte ta_

_(The more you struggle, the more you'll wander alone)_

"Nah. I don't think that's gonna happen anymore," Saiki noted, turning his gaze back to the massive battle that was currently taking place.

"We buried the hatchet for good this time."

"Let's just hope so..." Moriko quipped, to which Saiki just sweatdropped.

_Hitori ja nai kimi ga yume ni kawatte yuku_

_Mukai kaze mo habatakeru waratte ite okure_

_(I'm no longer alone, I'm being changed by my dreams_

_Even the opposing winds are flying and laughing)_

Nick pivoted around to avoid a charging attack, and then struck back with a quick Ojamajo Arrow of Light.

"_You insolent FOOLS!!!!"_ Dark Spirit exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, give it a rest," Nick taunted as Yuki prepared her attack.

"The force of a little sister's pride, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Star!!"

Yuki unleashed a beam of silver energy that exploded into a star shape when it struck Dark Spirit, causing quite a bit of damage.

Taking advantage of the moment of distraction, Yuki focused her mind, linking it to that of Dark Spirit's. She scanned the dark entity for a suitable weak spot until...

"_Get out of my mind, brat!!"_ Dark Spirit exclaimed, launching a volley of dark energy bursts for Yuki, who easily dodged, still keeping her mind linked with Dark Spirit's, as it seemed to slow it down quite a bit.

"Go, onii-chan!!" Yuki stated. Nick just nodded and rushed forward, brandishing Sekai no Hikari.

_"RAINBOW STRIKE!!!"_

Nick struck multiple times with his rainbow-glowing blade, each strike causing quite a toll of damage.

_Hitotsu ni narou futari koko made kita koto ga_

_Boku no yuuki no akashi dakara_

_Kawari tsuzukete ru kono sekai de_

_(Let's become one, and until that moment comes,_

_It will be the proof of my courage_

_In this world which is constantly changing)_

"And don't say that we don't know when to give up, because I've heard that pretty much my whole life," Nick taunted.

_"Enough of this,"_ Dark Spirit proclaimed, holding its arms out and channeling dark energy into its hands.

"Stay sharp, sis," Nick stated, keeping Yuki close to him. "I don't think I've seen this trick before..."

With nearly no warning, Dark Spirit thrust its hands downwards, and this simple motion created hundreds of dark energy needles that thundered forward and slashed mercilessly at Nick and Yuki.

"Ouch..." Yuki stated once the onslaught was over. "That actually hurt a bit. Time to step it up."

Yuki raised her hands.

_"Sutaraito Kiseki!!!"_

Once again, Dark Spirit was constricted by the star shape.

"That's gonna be the last time I'll be able to use this spell for a while, so make this one count, okay, Nick-kun?" Yuki noted, softly kissing Nick on the forehead.

"As always," Nick answered before rushing forward.

_Kakujitsu na mono wa nanimo nai yo no naka dakedo_

_Kimi to warai kimi to naite boku wa boku ni modoru_

_(It seems there's nothing at all inside reality but_

_Laughing with you, crying with you, I become myself again)_

Nick brought Sekai no Hikari behind him, the blade glowing with an impossibly bright light.

"Eat this, freak!! _Divine Retribution!!"_

Nick struck hard and fast, the light around his blade exploding around Dark Spirit and severely damaging him.

"God, why won't you just go down and STAY DOWN?!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Guess that means it's my turn," Moriko stated from the ground.

_"The emerald colors of a morning mist, take this!! Ojamajo Leaf Storm!!"_

Rainbow leaves shot from Moriko's outstretched hands and struck Dark Spirit, actually doing some nice damage.

"_You dare attack me, jade witch?!"_ Dark Spirit growled.

_"The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

A powerful burst of frost-blue energy erupted from Akemi's hands and struck Dark Spirit, freezing it in its place.

"Your turn, Kurumi-chan," Akemi giggled. The gray witch nodded.

_Sunao ni narezu hagemashi sae kobande ita yoru mo_

_Konna boku o tsutsumu you ni mimamotte ite kureta_

_(Before I became strong, I kept rejecting encouragement_

_You watched over me so I could move on)_

_"The hidden energy deep within my heart, take this!! Ojamajo Moonlight Pulse!!"_

Kurumi threw her arms to the side, launching a silver shockwave at Dark Spirit, causing more damage.

"_You brats are really starting to annoy me,"_ Dark Spirit proclaimed.

"Oh, shut it," Yuki quipped, aiming for Dark Spirit.

_"The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

The flurry of twilight energy beams hammered away at Dark Spirit, causing still more damage, though it still looked ready for more.

"God, what's it gonna take to bring this freak show down?!" Moriko near-screamed.

_Kimi no ie ga miete kita ashibaya ni natte yuku_

_(I can see your goal and it's getting crowded)_

Saiki just waved his hand to calm the jade witch down. "It's all right, Moriko-chan. Dark Spirit's starting to get weak. It shouldn't be too much longer."

Dark Spirit didn't seem to take to well to that proclamation. _"What did you just say, worthless boy?!"_

_Hitori ja nai motto jiyuu ni nareru hazu sa_

_Puraido ya utagai to ka mou sutete shimaou_

_(I'm no longer alone, I can have more freedom_

_I can throw away things like pride and doubts)_

Then, something completely unexpected happened: Yuki flew forwards and grabbed Dark Spirit by the throat.

"Don't. You. DARE," Yuki growled. "Don't you DARE threaten my Saiki-kun!!!"

Keeping one hand at Dark Spirit's throat, Yuki raised her free hand and began to concentrate twilight energy into her open palm.

"Eat this, freak show!! _TWILIGHT BLITZ!!!_"

Yuki thrust her free palm towards Dark Spirit's chest and unleashed a massive concentration of twilight energy that forced Dark Spirit back.

_Soba ni iru dareka ga yorokonde kureru koto_

_Hito o shinjiru hajimari da to yatto wakatta yo_

_Kimi ni deatte_

_(Having the pleasure of someone by my side_

_I can finally understand that you must believe in people_

_All because I met you)_

Not wasting any time, Yuki linked her mind to Dark Spirit's, trying to check the progress of the battle. She noticed that Dark Spirit's aura was getting fainter with each attack, and with that, she knew that this fight was about to come to an end.

"_Why must you link into my mind, brat?"_ Dark Spirit wondered.

"Lots of reasons," Yuki giggled. "But the only reason you need to know is so that I know how badly we're kicking your butt."

"_You would dare mock me?!"_ Dark Spirit growled.

"We've been doing it this whole fight, and you just now noticed? MAN, are you slow!!" Yuki taunted.

This made Dark Spirit fly into a rage, and it charged at Yuki, only to be stopped by Nick.

"You try to hurt my sister, you're gonna have to go through me."

Quick as lightning, Nick unleashed a powerful Rainbow Wave, the tornado of rainbow energy slicing at Dark Spirit's form.

_Hitori ja nai kimi ga yume ni kawatte yuku_

_Mukai kaze mo habatakeru waratte ite okure_

_(I'm no longer alone, I'm being changed by my dreams_

_Even the opposing winds are flying and laughing)_

Saiki had to smirk. "Yep. It's inevitable, Dark Spirit. You picked a fight with the wrong people."

"_ARGH... how can you two little brats be so damned strong?!"_ Dark Spirit demanded. _"My dark power is insurmountable!!"_

"Simple, freak," Nick responded. "Our power is real, because I know that true strength comes from protecting the ones you love. That's how I've always fought, and it's how I always will."

_Hitotsu ni narou futari koko made kita koto ga_

_Boku no yuuki no akashi dakara_

_Kawari tsuzukete ru kono sekai de_

_(Let's become one, and until that moment comes,_

_It will be the proof of my courage_

_In this world which is constantly changing)_

Nick then just shook his head. "All right, enough of this. I've had enough of you, Dark Spirit!!!"

Nick raised his free hand, and this somehow created a prism of energy that trapped Dark Spirit.

"Once I take care of you, this nightmare will be over," Nick proclaimed. "You've got so much to pay for..."

Then, an idea ran through Nick's head.

"Actually... Yuki-chan?"

"Yes, Nick-kun?"

"You wanna do the honors?"

"Sure!!"

With that, Yuki set her sights on the trapped Dark Spirit, raising her hands and preparing for a Mystic Arte that would put an end to the battle.

_This one's for Saiki-kun... and for you, too, Nick-kun._

(written by **YukiShinoya444**)

I guess I should consider myself lucky, having those two...

Yuki smiled to herself, sighing.

Probably the luckiest bishoujo in the world...

_"Style Change!! Purifying Style!!"_

Upon the chant, a white dress wrapping around her body, complete with a snow white ribbon that fixed her hair up in an elegant ponytail with silver clasps around her wrist. Yuki blew a kiss, winking.

"Consider yourself extinguished, Dark Spirit-san."

The Dark Spirit merely struggled, still trying to break free.

_"Mystic Arte!! Radiant Dawn!!"_ she exclaimed releasing pure light energy that surrounded the Dark Spirit, absorbed into it, and exploded in a shower of silver sparkles.

With that, the black witch held up a finger, beaming.

"Game, set, and match. Purification complete."

She and Nick nodded towards one another before floating back to the ground, reverting to their usual selves.

"Well... He's done for..." Nick smiled, turning to his sister. "Great job, Yuki-chan..."

"SAIKI-KUN!!!" she exclaimed, zipping past her brother to tackle her boyfriend in a hug. "I finally fulfilled my side of the bargain!! Let's get married already!!"

"You never really do skip a beat when it comes to what you want, huh Yuki-chan?" Saiki asked with a laugh, ruffling her hair.

I swear, this girl...

Yuki simply giggled, snuggling deeper into the embrace.

"I love you, Saiki-kun."

The younger prince's smile widened at that as he sighed.

"I love you too, Yuki."

The black witch looked up at him in awe, her eyes sparkling.

"Saiki-kun..."

"Yuki-_chan_, I mean." He corrected herself, making her playfully puff her cheeks in a slight pout.

"Mou, Saiki-kun..."

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Senna screamed in delight, tackling BOTH Saiki and Yuki to the ground, knocking them out a bit. "MY ADORABLE YUKI-CHAN IS BACK!!!"

"And now my head hurts," Saiki groaned as he stood up and held his head, wincing. "Careful, Senna-chan."

"Sorry," Senna responded, still squeezing Yuki. "But I love Yuki-chan, too!!"

Yuki could only laugh weakly at that.

"C-Careful Senna-chan... I'm still a little weak from the battle..."

"ALRIGHT!!! MATRIMONY, HERE COMES SAYOKO KURUMI!!!" Kurumi exclaimed, jumping up and down in glee. "I'll call Madame Butterfly right away!!"

"Kurumi-chan, shouldn't you be focusing on your own marriage?" Moriko asked dubiously, her hands on her hips.

The gray witch flushed red at that.

"W-What's that mean?!"

"We heard that someone proposed to you a month ago," the jade witch stated matter-of-factly while Akemi just nodded. "You're considering it, aren't you?"

Kurumi's blush deepened as she growled.

"P-Please, I so am NOT... I'll wait a while before I choose to marry THAT guy..."

"Who is it anyway?" Akemi inquired softly.

"It's some guy named Shiro-kun, I think..." Moriko answered, earning Akemi to exhale an 'oh'.

"QUIET RIGHT NOW, YOU TWO!!!"

Nick simply laughed before walking up to his sister and Senna, making them both perk up.

"Nick-kun?"

"Senna-chan, so where's the others and my wife?" he asked, smiling. "I need to see her and show Akatsuki-kun that his little brother's just fine."

Saiki blushed deeply at that.

_Onii-chan will just never let that go, will he?_

"They're waiting back by the church with everyone else... Doremi-chan's really happy about Akatsuki-kun being there... His friends came over, too!! I don't know why..."

"Knowing Doremi-chan," Saiki interjected, his annoyance reaching its peak already. "She's going to be harassing my poor brother all day... I'll go find them."

"Looks like Saiki-kun also has issues sharing his sibling..." Nick noted, a little surprised. "Who would have thought?"

"This is different, Nick-kun," the younger prince quipped, growling a bit.

Yuki just giggled. "I have issues sharing Nick-kun and Saiki-kun as well, but no complaints."

"Alright," Kurumi stated, still blushing a deep shade of red. "Let's get..."

"OKAA-CHAN!!! OTOU-CHAN!!!"

They all spun to the source of the voice, spotting the future kids rushing up, all cheery.

"We missed the battle," Mana pouted, growling a bit. "But we wanted to say goodbye."

"We need to head back to our own time... You're all probably worried about us there," Satoshi stated, sighing. "But we wanted to thank you all first..."

"I'll see you soon, otou-san! Be gentle with okaa-san, okay?" Sakura asked with a grin, making Nick blush.

"Satoshi-kun... Mana-chan..." Yuki began before hugging them both. "I'll try and be a good mom, okay?"

"We know you will, Yuki-chan," Satoshi responded, returning the hug with a light blush.

"Otou-chan~!" Mana exclaimed as she separated from her future mother and brother, hopping up to hug Saiki. "Please don't stress yourself too much, okay?"

Saiki smiled at that, returning the embrace with a sigh. "Will try, Mana-chan."

"GIVE ME A HUG!!!" Sakura squealed, glomping Nick. "I love you, otou-san."

"Love you too, Sakura-chan," he responded, smiling brightly. "Take good care of yourself."

"Will do!!"

With that, the three kids all gathered, joining altogether and glowing.

"Take care!!" they exclaimed one last time before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Great kids," Saiki noted, his smile widening. "Almost makes me a little excited at the thought of marriage..."

"Why are we stalling?!" Yuki exclaimed as she stood up dramatically, pointing to the air. "TO ZA CHURCH!!!"

"I'll ready the dress!!" Kurumi exclaimed as well, giddy.

"I'll ready the red tulips!!" Moriko exclaimed as well, referring to the black witch's favorite flowers.

"I-I'll help..." Akemi murmured, blushing darkly like always.

"THIS CALLS FOR CELEBRATION!!!" Senna screamed in delight. "MY ADORABLE YUKI-CHAN IS GETTING MARRIED!!!"

"Which reminds me, what do YOU say about marriage, my dear Akemi-chan?" Moriko asked with a beam, making her friend blush darkly.

"I-Is that legal, Moriko-chan?"

The jade witch winked.

"We could always just have a Best Friends Forever Ceremony."

The crystal witch blinked but giggled at that.

"That could work, Moriko-chan."

Nick and Saiki only sighed.

"Some things never change..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Yuki-chan sure never really wastes any time, huh Momoko?"

"Are you sad that she's getting married, Nick?"

"A little..."

Momoko just smiled, fixing up the bowtie on her husband's tie, wearing the same bridesmaid dress Yuki had.

"You're happy, aren't you?"

"Ain't that the truth?" he laughed, kissing the side of her face. "I love you, Momoko."

"I love you too, sweetie."

"My little brother married before I take over the throne..." Akatsuki murmured, patting the said little brother on the head as he feverishly blushed a deep shade of red. "Aren't you glad how things worked out, otouto-chan?"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, onii-chan?!"

"Never thought this day would come..." Tooru noted, thinking a bit. "Maybe I can convince Onpu-chan to..."

"Don't get your hopes up," Fujio and Leon stated at the same time, sighing. "But congrats, Saiki-kun. We never saw this day coming?"

"What does that mean?" Saiki shot back, his blush deepening if possible. "You three are unbelievable..."

Akatsuki simply laughed, patting his shoulder. "If my little brother's married, I should be able to get married as well, right Sai?"

"Where the heck did that come from?" the younger prince growled before waving his finger. "Also, what are you going to do about the human thing, nii-chan?"

"Eh, I'll find a way," Akatsuki shrugged, smirking. "If the former queen sort of made it work, I want to see what I can do."

"And yet you wonder why I always worry about you..."

Kurumi smiled, giggling. "Yuki-chan's getting antsy... But they should be done putting on that dress soon..."

"Ooh, I want to get married to Akatsuki-kun~!" Doremi squealed, hearts floating around. "I'm so excited..."

"Doremi-chan never changes," Hazuki giggled, to which Aiko laughed.

"I hope Moriko-chan and Akemi-chan can finish the job soon, I really wanted to see Yuki-chan's wedding dress..." Onpu stated, to which Hana squealed.

"HANA-CHAN DOES TOO!!"

Poppu and Fami simply smiled towards one another and laughed.

"Married before me..." Ichiyou slumped while Haruka comforted her.

"There, there, Leaf-chan..."

"Exciting," Yumi noted with a content nod while Riiko nodded.

"R-Right..."

Nick and Momoko simply laughed, excited as ever.

"By the way, before you get married, Saiki-kun," Akatsuki stated, wiping off his brother's cheek. "Remember that the Mahoutsukaikai's still going to give you royal treatment even after I take the throne. I only want the best for my cute little brother. Papa misses you, too."

Saiki blinked but smiled, sighing a bit.

"Thanks, onii-chan."

Kurumi's smile faded, and she began blushing.

Maybe I SHOULD take Shiro-kun up on that proposal of his... After all, he may be annoying, but he was still pretty great to me...

"Hey, I'm here!!"

Everyone snapped up at the voice to take in the sight of Yuki in a stunning lavender wedding dress, holding her bouquet of red tulips, wearing a flowered veil, with Moriko and Akemi at her sides in bridesmaid dresses, curtsying.

Saiki's eyes widened, and he immediately blushed as she walked up to him, taking his hands in hers.

"Let's be together forever, okay Saiki-kun?"

"Sure thing, Yuki-chan."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

**("Carry Me" by Saeko Chiba plays)**

Once everything was set up (this wedding was taking place in the same chapel where Nick and Momoko had tied the knot; "Ironic, isn't it?" Nick wonders), Yuki could barely contain her excitement. She was FINALLY getting married to the boy of her dreams. After nearly seven years and a lot of dreaming (and a few fights between Nick and Saiki), it was finally happening.

"My god, are you as excited as I am, Saiki-kun?" Yuki squealed. "We're FINSLLY getting hitched!!!"

"To be honest, I never thought this day would come," Saiki admitted. "But I'm glad it did."

"Me, too!!!" Yuki giggled. "You ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess," Saiki stated. "Let's do it."

"And let's never regret it," Yuki stated, clinging to Saiki's arm.

_Inside the chapel..._

"The couple has written their own vows, which they will now recite to each other," the priest stated.

"Saiki-kun..." Yuki sighed happily. "What can't I say about you? You've been so wonderful to me these many long years... and though Nick-kun never really liked you, I know he was just jealous. I'm just glad it didn't separate us. I remember when I got jealous of Nick-kun and Momo-chan dating, but that went away when I met you. It was like Romeo and Juliet, wasn't it? Finding my other half..."

Saiki smiled. "You're definitely one heck of a special girl, Yuki-chan. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were special, but I sure as heck never expected that I'd fall so hard for you. And after all the adventures we went on, and despite the fact that your brother never liked me before just a little while ago, that never stopped me. You're just that special to me."

"If anyone objects to the union of this couple, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Once again, there was complete silence for a full minute.

"Is that really even necessary?" Nick asked Moriko. "If someone objected, they wouldn't be here, right?"

"I really don't know that myself," the jade witch responded.

"Very well, then. Do you, Shinoya Yuki, take this young man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"You bet I do!!" Yuki giggled.

"And do you, Shidoosha Saiki, take this young woman to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Yes, I do," Saiki responded.

"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Then, as a complete surprise to all the Ojamajos, Saiki took Yuki into his arms and gave her a Hollywood-style kiss, much like Nick and Momoko had at their wedding.

"Good for them," Akemi giggled.

"YES!!!" Kurumi exclaimed.

"Good job, you two," Moriko noted.

Yuki took this time to toss the bouquet, which once again landed in Aiko's lap. Nick couldn't help but laugh a bit at the blue witch's flustered expression.

"Well, Saiki-kun, what do you say we head to the reception? I wanna try that cake Momo-chan made!!!" Yuki giggled.

Saiki couldn't help but sweatdrop at this. She'll never change, will she? But I guess that's why I love her.

"One last thing, okay, Saiki-kun?" Yuki stated before rushing up to Nick.

"Hey, Nick-kun?"

"Yeah, Yuki-chan?"

Nick was pretty surprised when Yuki threw her arms around Nick in a nearly bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you so much for believing in me, Nick-kun... even after everything that happened on Abel's Ark... you never gave up on me... not even when I tried to kill you... not even when I said those hateful things to you... that really touched my heart when you got me back to myself..."

"It's like I've been telling you for almost eighteen years, Yuki-chan. I'd do anything to see you happy, and boy, do I mean ANYTHING."

"I know..."

Yuki leaned forward and kissed her brother on the forehead.

"I love you, Nick-kun."

"I love you, too, Yuki-chan."

_A couple weeks later..._

Nick gazed around the city as he continued his walk. Momoko was currently out buying some groceries, so he had free reign of the city while his wife was out.

_Here I am, this is me_

_There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be_

Not much had changed in Misora since Nick's sister had gotten married to the boy of her dreams. Even though it had only been a few weeks since that day, Yuki was already starting to plan out her future with her beloved, something that made Nick laugh at how silly his sister could be.

_Here I am, it's just me and you_

_Tonight we make our dreams come true_

"Good to know that everyone's doing well," Nick noted to himself as he walked by the Suzuki household.

In the gap between today and the weddings, Akemi's brother Daisuke had returned, and the crystal witch was beyond happy. Nick was just glad to see her so happy again.

Another look inside confirmed that Moriko was there as well, clinging to Akemi like a summer dress and making the crystal witch blush a lot more than she usually would.

_It's a new world, it's a new start_

_It's alive with the beating of young hearts_

A quick trip to the water fountain yielded a surprise visit from Kurumi.

"Hi, Nick-kun!!" the gray witch giggled.

"Hey yourself, Kurumi-chan," Nick responded.

"So how's married life going for you?" Kurumi asked, tucking her hands behind her back and giving Nick a cute smile.

_It's a new day, it's a new plan_

_I've been waiting for you, here I am..._

"It's a bit of responsibility, but Momoko and I are handling it pretty well," Nick explained.

"You two expecting yet?" Kurumi asked, causing Nick to blush.

"Kurumi-chan, we've only been married for a couple weeks. We're not going that far right away!!" Nick exclaimed, waving his hands like crazy.

_Here we are, we've just begun_

_And after all this time, our time has come_

"But you do want a kid eventually, don't you?" Kurumi wondered.

"Well, of course. We're just gonna wait a while before we try that," Nick responded. "I think Momoko's gonna be super-happy when Sakura-chan comes around."

"I bet she will," Kurumi giggled.

"KURUMI-CHAN!!!"

"And that would be Shiro-kun," Kurumi noted.

_Yeah, here we are, still goin' strong_

_Right here in the place where we belong_

"How's everything going, Kurumi-chan?" the black-haired, blue-eyed boy asked.

"Oh, the usual," Kurumi giggled.

"Just say it, Kurumi-chan," Nick stated, gently elbowing Kurumi in the side.

"You... do you have an answer?" Shiro asked.

Kurumi just nodded.

_Oh it's a new world, it's a new start_

_It's alive with the beating of young hearts_

"Shiro-kun..."

Shiro tensed up, ready for Kurumi's answer.

"My answer... is yes."

_It's a new day, it's a new plan_

_I've been waiting for you... here I am!_

Shiro could hardly believe his ears. "You're serious?"

"I thought about it for a while, and I realized how nice you've been to me over these past couple months," Kurumi explained. "So I decided to accept your proposal."

"Kurumi-chan... you have no idea how happy that makes me!!" Shiro exclaimed, rushing into Kurumi's embrace.

"I can probably guess," Kurumi giggled, happily returning the embrace of her future husband.

_Here I am, this is me_

_There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be_

"Good for you, Kurumi-chan," Nick stated. "I'll leave you two to make nice."

This simple statement caused Kurumi to blush like mad, but before she could get a word in edgewise, Nick had vanished.

"That Nick-kun..." Kurumi giggled.

_Here I am, it's just me and you_

_Tonight we make our dreams come true_

Nick's journey eventually took him to the airport, where his sister and her bride were about to depart on their honeymoon. Yuki had chose the vacation spot as Hawaii, a place that Nick had always wanted to go. Of course, when Yuki had announced this, Nick had been extremely jealous. Lucky her...

_Oh it's a new world, it's a new start_

_It's alive with the beating of young hearts_

"Oh, geez... I hope I can catch them before their plane leaves... I promised Yuki-chan I'd see her off!!" Nick remembered, increasing his speed.

Almost the instant after he'd completed his thoughts, he accidentally ran into someone, knocking both them and the person's luggage to the ground.

"Jeez!! Sorry, Yuki-chan..." Nick apologized, already knowing who he'd run into.

"It's okay, Nick-kun," Yuki sweetly replied, picking up her scattered luggage. "You didn't break anything."

"I heard you got jealous when Yuki-chan told you we were going to Hawaii for our honeymoon," Saiki noted.

_It's a new day, it's a new plan_

_I've been waiting for you_

"When they were still alive, our parents once went there for their honeymoon," Nick explained. "When they told me about it, I made them promise to take me with them next time they went."

"That's why I chose Hawaii!!" Yuki giggled. "It would be a nice way to honor okaa-sama and otou-san!!"

_Oh it's a new world, it's a new start_

_It's alive with the beating of young hearts_

Yuki's expression turned serious for a second. "Nick-kun... I'm gonna miss you while we're away..."

Nick just smiled at this, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a star-shaped charm before handing it to his sister.

"This... this is that charm you made in art class..." Yuki noted.

"I figured I'd let you hold on to this while you're away," Nick explained. "So we don't forget each other."

Yuki smiled, almost in tears. "I could NEVER forget you, Nick-kun. You're precious to me."

_It's a new day, it's a new plan_

_I've been waiting for you (Waiting, waiting, waiting)_

_Here I am..._

With that, Yuki burst into tears and rushed into Nick's arms.

"We'll see each other soon. I promise."

"I know, Nick-kun..."

Nick couldn't help but kiss Yuki on the forehead.

"I love you, Yuki-chan."

"I love you, too, Nick-kun."

_Here I am, right next to you_

_Suddenly the world is all brand new_

_Here I am_

"Well, we should probably get going," Saiki noted. "Our plane's about to leave."

"We'll see you in two weeks, Nick-kun!!" Yuki giggled. "Don't get TOO lovey-dovey with Momo-chan while we're gone!!"

"Now you're acting like Ai-chan, huh?" Nick teased, faking distress.

"Sorry, couldn't resist!!" Yuki responded. "Love you, Nick-kun!!"

"Love you, too!!" Nick shouted as the hatch closed and the plane began to lift off.

_Here I am, where I'm gonna stay_

_Now there's nothin' standing in our way_

_Here I am_

Once the plane was out of sight, Nick sighed and turned around.

_"She's growing up, isn't she?"_

_"That's our little girl."_

Nick smiled, knowing who was behind him.

"Okaa-sama... otou-san... you'd be so proud of her."

_"I didn't really like him much at first, but he's a good kid,"_ Jeff Kelly responded. _"I know he'll treat her right."_

_"She grew up and found the guy of her dreams..."_ Rhea Kelly stated, brushing back a bit of her wavy brown hair. _"You found someone, too, didn't you?"_

Nick nodded. "It's just like I told Yuki-chan. Every step in life is followed by another. And this is the two of us taking that next step."

_Here I am, this is me_

"Living for today, and looking forward to tomorrow."

Nick smiled as the transparent forms of his parents watched the setting sun alongside their son.

"Nankurunaisa."

_~ The End ~_


End file.
